Superpower Kentucky used to performing on big stage
Kentucky coach John Calipari returns an autographed ball to a young fan during practice for the team's NCAA Tournament opener against Stony Brook on Thursday night in Des Moines, Iowa. Credit: AP / Nati Harnik
DES MOINES, Iowa — Quickness is vital for Kentucky players. It helps them get open, make steals and win games. And on the rare occasions when they lose on the road, it helps them head toward the locker room because, as coach John Calipari said, the fans “are going to storm the court.”
That is what it means to play for one of the most storied teams in sports, a team that will be an overwhelming favorite against Stony Brook Thursday night in their NCAA Tournament opener. The underdog will be pumped, and the Wildcats will be used to that.
“The thing about being in Kentucky,” Calipari said Thursday, “is every game we play is someone’s Super Bowl.”
In other words, there never is a worry that Kentucky will be lethargic, especially during March Madness. The opponent never lets them be. That is fine with players who put on those blue and white uniforms that reflect the color of shirts worn by fans who follow them all over the country.
“As a team, we’re not trying to live up to anyone else’s expectations. We have our own goals, which are probably the same as everyone else’s,” said Tyler Ulis, the star guard who is generally considered one of the top players in the nation. “We just try to lead, and reach our goals.”
Pressure does not stop top prospects from enrolling in Lexington, even if they plan to stay for only one year before heading to the NBA.
“Growing up, I always watched Kentucky basketball, along with Duke and North Carolina,” said freshman Isaiah Briscoe, a blue-chip recruit last year out of Roselle Catholic in New Jersey. “But my senior year, Coach Cal came around, and when I took a visit to Lexington . . . it felt like family and it was something I wanted to be part of.”
They know that the pressure is squarely on them against Stony Brook, which never has been in the Tournament before. Senior forward Alex Poythress said, “They’re going to come out real loose, try to compete real hard. It’s going to be a battle from the start of the game and we can’t take them lightly.”
Calipari also knows that Stony Brook is approaching it as a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. He recalled in vivid detail his first time coaching in the Big Dance, for Massachusetts in March, 1992. He remembers how Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim surprised him by switching from zone to man-to-man, and how a broken play led to a crucial banked three-pointer by his center. He remembers then going up against Kentucky, of all teams, and getting called for a pivotal technical foul for a sideline violation he swears he didn’t commit.
“By us losing, that led to Christian Laettner’s catch against Kentucky,” he said. “What else do you want to know? I can tell where we ate, where I stayed, I can tell you all you want to know.”
Plus, he can tell you about Stony Brook: “They can beat us. They’ve got great inside presence, they shoot the ball, they play back line defense . . . They run great stuff high-low, slip screens and do stuff to post their big guy.”
But Calipari also said he insists that his teams have more fun than anybody else. No matter how many times Kentucky has been in this situation, no matter how heavily favored it is, its players never become blasé.
As Briscoe said, “This is my first time in the Tournament also, so I’m just excited for the experience.”
