-Gates said this is another opportunity to defend home court. Said Anthony Robinson is available after missing last gaem.
-Gates said South Carolina is shooting the ball a little bit better than last season. He thinks Meechie Johnson has been their best player.
-Gates said part of the cold stretch at the end was that they didn't have Sean East in the game. Said he definitely thought that it should've been a flagrant foul on Kentucky. The refs told him that Sean got hit with the ball but Sean wouldn't have had the mark on his face if it was just the ball. Nick Honor ended up playing 19 consecutive minutes because of it.
-Gates said he thinks Nick Honor is actually playing well. The issue is that they need him to be Superman. He's still averaging double-digit points on the year and has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. He loves the leadership he's brought. But they do need him to be better.
-Asked Gates about bringing in subs at the first under-16 timeout when Kentucky was only up 14-12 and the team was in a rhythm. He said, while they have a disposition not to show it, a few of the players on the floor were fatigued and requested a quick breather.
-Asked Gates about Mabor Majak and what the expectations are when he's in the game. Gates said he views Majak as one of the team's most physical defenders and that he helped them win a few games last season. He liked what he saw from Majak early on and decided to give him a few more opportunities. He pointed out again that Majak, John Tonje and Jackson Francois were the only players who didn't end the game with a negative plus/minus.
-Asked Gates about Jordan Butler and Trent Pierce not playing. Gates said it was an "executive decision" and didn't elaborate further.
-Zeus said the team has to "flip the switch." Said it felt like Kentucky wanted the win a little bit more than them. They're hoping to change that tomorrow.
-Zeus said biggest thing with South Carolina tomorrow is that they stick to the game plan.
-Zeus was asked how he's handled the inconsistent minutes he's gotten this year. He said, coming from a mid-major, he's happy just to get in the game. He's not concerned with how much or how little he's out there, he just wants to play.
-Zeus said some of the things the team has to improve on is playing together, moving the ball more and communicating on defense. He thinks the bigger changes need to come on the defensive side more than the offensive side.
-Gates said South Carolina is shooting the ball a little bit better than last season. He thinks Meechie Johnson has been their best player.
-Gates said part of the cold stretch at the end was that they didn't have Sean East in the game. Said he definitely thought that it should've been a flagrant foul on Kentucky. The refs told him that Sean got hit with the ball but Sean wouldn't have had the mark on his face if it was just the ball. Nick Honor ended up playing 19 consecutive minutes because of it.
-Gates said he thinks Nick Honor is actually playing well. The issue is that they need him to be Superman. He's still averaging double-digit points on the year and has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. He loves the leadership he's brought. But they do need him to be better.
-Asked Gates about bringing in subs at the first under-16 timeout when Kentucky was only up 14-12 and the team was in a rhythm. He said, while they have a disposition not to show it, a few of the players on the floor were fatigued and requested a quick breather.
-Asked Gates about Mabor Majak and what the expectations are when he's in the game. Gates said he views Majak as one of the team's most physical defenders and that he helped them win a few games last season. He liked what he saw from Majak early on and decided to give him a few more opportunities. He pointed out again that Majak, John Tonje and Jackson Francois were the only players who didn't end the game with a negative plus/minus.
-Asked Gates about Jordan Butler and Trent Pierce not playing. Gates said it was an "executive decision" and didn't elaborate further.
-Zeus said the team has to "flip the switch." Said it felt like Kentucky wanted the win a little bit more than them. They're hoping to change that tomorrow.
-Zeus said biggest thing with South Carolina tomorrow is that they stick to the game plan.
-Zeus was asked how he's handled the inconsistent minutes he's gotten this year. He said, coming from a mid-major, he's happy just to get in the game. He's not concerned with how much or how little he's out there, he just wants to play.
-Zeus said some of the things the team has to improve on is playing together, moving the ball more and communicating on defense. He thinks the bigger changes need to come on the defensive side more than the offensive side.
