Kentucky is gearing up for its anticipated matchup in opposition to the Tennessee Volunteers, a possibility to proper the ship following back-to-back losses at Alabama and vs. South Carolina. To do it, although, the Wildcats must take down a top-five workforce within the nation and the No. 1 protection general — by a big margin, at that.

How is Kentucky making ready for the battle in opposition to its bitter SEC rival? Affiliate to the Head Coach Bruiser Flint spoke with the media previous to the workforce’s journey to Knoxville, discussing the Wildcats’ latest setbacks, the skin noise and the keys to an upset win.

You’ll be able to watch the entire press convention beneath:

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On John Calipari’s response to Kentucky’s latest struggles…

He’s simply working, attempting to get our guys extra ready in what we’re attempting to do. That’s all you are able to do as a coach. John Calipari, he’s been on this scenario earlier than. He’s been teaching for a very long time. He understands the circumstances in what we have to do, the mindset we’re attempting to get the children again into. Among the issues, you’ve bought to maintain the litter out of your head as a result of it is a place the place you get lots of litter. It’s about working and attempting to determine what we will do to get higher and get again heading in the right direction.

On what he must see Saturday to know this workforce is taking steps ahead…

I feel we took a pair optimistic steps ahead. Although we misplaced to Missouri, then LSU, I feel we did some issues good. For me, our particulars need to be extra constant. I feel generally our particulars aren’t constant, and it exhibits within the sport. We undergo intervals in a sport the place we wrestle. We’ve bought to be higher in our particulars as a workforce. I assumed we had been making some progress, after which we took a couple of steps again. We did. A few of it’s who you’ve within the sport, who you don’t have within the sport, issues like that. Our particulars need to be higher and be extra constant throughout the sport.

On Kentucky’s strategy to the sport plan…

Realizing who we’re enjoying, figuring out what protection we’re in, issues like that. It solely takes one particular person to interrupt down, and we’ve struggled with that slightly bit. We have now to be slightly extra constant throughout the sport, our particulars and what we’re truly attempting to do. It hurts us at occasions, we get behind and now we’re preventing again. Made some strides, then took a few steps again the previous couple of video games. It’s harm us. We’ve been slightly banged up, that hurts additionally. Alabama sport, we bought in foul bother and that harm us.

On the workforce’s sluggish begins…

A little bit little bit of the sluggish begins has to do with simply lacking. You don’t take that into consideration whenever you’re watching the sport. I don’t know what number of of you guys return and watch it afterward, what number of of you actually watch it afterward? In the event you actually return and watch, you’ll notice we’re open and simply miss. We will discuss our offense and what we’re doing, however whenever you return and watch it, we’re simply lacking. You’re completely proper about that (being a constant downside), and we discuss that ourselves.

On if the workforce has the correct mindset going into video games…

I feel we now have the correct mindset going into video games. We miss lots of photographs, particularly on the street. Not essentially at residence. South Carolina is actually the primary sport we didn’t get off to a good begin (at residence). On the street, we do miss. We have now to do a greater job of constructing photographs. Typically they’re good photographs, simply not making them. At residence, we’re normally slightly bit higher than that. So yeah, we now have to be higher on the street by way of what we’re attempting to do.

On accidents for Cason Wallace and Jacob Toppin…

They’re simply day-to-day. We’ll see as we speak, however they’re simply day-to-day at this level. We’ll say that (they’re questionable).

On the workforce’s confidence proper now…

It’s at all times onerous, particularly right here. It’s an avalanche if you happen to lose, now. You know the way your guys get after they lose right here. They’re children, however they know what’s being mentioned. Cal talked about maintaining your head up, maintaining the litter out of their head, let’s go ahead. We’re not 6-10, you recognize what I imply? We nonetheless really feel we’re adequate to win some video games, we’ve simply bought to get higher doing sure issues to have the ability to win these video games. We’ve performed some powerful groups on the street and we haven’t been in a position to win. The children are going to be children, Cal is attempting to maintain their head up and transferring ahead, getting higher on the issues we have to get higher at. We predict issues will flip round.

On Kentucky’s latest defensive struggles…

Like I maintain saying, simply have to concentrate to the main points. It’s all in regards to the particulars in what we’re doing. It has slipped, as a result of protection is among the extra constant issues we’ve executed all season. It goes again to the small issues, and generally we don’t do them nicely. We’ve bought to get again to doing that.

On what makes Tennessee so spectacular defensively…

They’ve bought nice dimension they usually’re very bodily, take up lots of area on the courtroom. They’re simply very bodily and at all times have been that method, even after they don’t have nice dimension. They make you earn not simply each shot, however each catch, simply catching the ball. They make you earn it. That’s a giant a part of their sport. In the event you get previous the physicality, then it turns into slightly bit totally different. I like their dimension from watching them on movie. To be defensive workforce, generally that dimension issues, that size. And so they have that.

On if exterior noise can rally a workforce…

Yeah, you at all times rally from inside. In the event you don’t, you then’re in bother. In the long run, it’s all about us anyway. We benefit from the followers, however when it’s all mentioned and executed, it’s in regards to the workforce. We will’t let anyone are available in and mess us up as an ideal. All people talks in regards to the foxhole mentality, you recognize what I imply? That’s what occurs.

On the workforce’s psychological well being and the deal with checking in with the gamers…

Yeah, particularly with Twitter, stuff like that. They learn — look, let’s be actual, we’re in that world. They learn it. After I first began teaching, you didn’t have to fret about that. The one time you noticed the followers was on the video games, they could boo you. They didn’t have one thing to say two seconds after the sport is over the place they will truly see it. We discuss these forms of issues. You get into the foxhole and also you inform the blokes, ‘Don’t get down.’ Really, I at all times say this as a result of I didn’t develop up with it, flip your telephone off. However I’ll be trustworthy with you, it’s onerous for this era. It’s onerous. I feel the blokes are dealing with it slightly bit higher, they know the deal. That’s why you come to Kentucky, that’s what you’re getting.

On the way you adapt to the occasions…

You’ve got children — nicely, mine is slightly older now — however you be taught from them. That’s one factor, you simply be taught from them slightly bit. However you see it coming and it’s a must to adapt to it. You need to perceive. I keep in mind once we first began having cell telephones, they’d carry them into the locker room they usually’d go off earlier than you’re on the brink of play a sport. Coach would go completely, positively nuts. You’d hear one and go, ‘What!?’ It’s not them, it’s somebody calling them, they don’t care we’re about to go play in 10 minutes. You recognize what I imply?

Nevertheless it’s a giant a part of their lives now, in order that’s what it’s. You need to talk with them? You higher have a telephone, do issues like that. So that you simply have to regulate with the occasions and what goes on. You chortle at it since you got here by means of in an period the place you didn’t have to fret about that stuff.

On Oscar Tshiebwe’s latest defensive struggles…

I’m going to place this to relaxation. They’re not the primary workforce that attacked Oscar — they’re not the primary or the final. They’ve been attacking Oscar since final yr, he simply expressed it to you guys.

On if there’s something particular that modified with Tshiebwe in latest video games…

Not essentially. I’m telling you, he simply expressed it to you guys. All people tries to place Oscar in ball screens, all people does. Our protection has slipped slightly bit, however it’s not simply Oscar. We’ve bought to get ourselves collectively as a unit, however don’t let anyone let you know they got here up with a sport plan to assault Oscar as a result of all of them assault Oscar that method.

On the Tshiebwe’s struggles in opposition to Alabama, coaches being onerous on him on the bench…

I’m going to say it once more, OK? I don’t need everybody pondering they got here up with some gameplan to assault Oscar, as a result of all people tries to assault Oscar in ball screens. They do it to attempt to get Oscar out of the sport, as a result of they know in the event that they get him out of the sport, that’s an enormous loss for us. So final yr, similar factor, they put him in ball screens. Basketball is performed in ball screens. Our particulars need to be higher, I talked about that. That’s a part of it. Our particulars need to be higher, that’s why we haven’t been pretty much as good on protection. All of our particulars. It’s not simply Oscar, it’s different guys too. However we all know going right into a sport, virtually all people goes to place Oscar in ball screens.

On why some faculties have been extra profitable at doing it than others…

As a result of they’re higher at it than others. They could be higher at it than another groups, greater than us being — all people goes to place Oscar in a ball display. I would like you all to look at that for the remainder of the yr.

On Tshiebwe’s decision-making in ball screens and the coaches’ response…

We weren’t happy with it, however that goes again to what we talked about, the main points. We’ve been inconsistent with our particulars in what we’re doing. It’s not simply Oscar. Typically it’s a guard getting over a display, generally it’s the scheming of what’s occurring within the ball display. Our particulars simply haven’t been good, and it’s not simply him. I’ll let you know once more, watch intently, they’re going to place Oscar in ball screens. They’re going to try this, each workforce goes to try this. We simply need to be slightly bit higher.

On the correlation between Tennessee’s two losses and dropping the battle on the glass…

The one factor they’ve is nice dimension they usually do an ideal job rebounding the ball. One of many large issues whenever you’re enjoying them is the three ball. Once they’re taking pictures the three ball nicely, they’re onerous to beat. They’ve executed an ideal job this yr having nice stability. Within the video games they’ve misplaced and even their shut video games, they haven’t shot the three ball nice. If we will make them make powerful threes and maintain them off the backboard, that’d assist. However their dimension, bodily, we all know coming in they’ve two gigantic guys in there always. We all know we now have to rebound the ball.

On Antonio Reeves’ progress and luxury as a decision-maker…

He’s gotten higher, performed slightly bit higher. Antonio’s factor is making photographs. If he makes photographs, he helps us. He’s executed a greater job of constructing photographs. With our offense, he’s turn into slightly bit extra affected person and never simply popping out and taking pictures. He’s understanding of what goes subsequent, what comes subsequent if you happen to don’t have a shot. That’s been a giant factor for him, it’s relaxed him slightly bit. He’s been higher with it.