Michael Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t concerned about the future. He also isn’t worried about the past.
The Kentucky freshman knows Kentucky can’t look past South Carolina when the two teams meet for the second time this season today in Columbia, S.C. The top-ranked Wildcats (21-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference), defeated the Gamecocks (9-12, 1-6) on Jan. 7 at Rupp Arena, but Kidd-Gilchrist said the earlier-season victory “doesn’t mean anything” and is worthless.
“It’s another game,” he said.
Kentucky sophomore guard Doron Lamb said the team’s mission is simple: Keep winning and keep an even keel for the remainder of the regular season.
“We take every game like they’re No. 1 in the country like us, so we have to win every game so far and we’re not trying to lose anymore,” he said. “So we just have to keep playing hard in practice and keep playing hard in the game.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari agreed with Kidd-Gilchrist and Lamb and expects a different encounter this time around. The last time Kentucky ventured into Columbia with the No. 1 ranking, the Gamecocks stunned the Wildcats 68-62 two years ago, ending the team’s two-week run as the top-ranked team in the nation.
“We approach every game the same and I’m going to go in there today like we played North Carolina or anybody else. We’re going on the road. It’s going to be a hard game.”
Although South¿Carolina has won just one game in its past five games, Calipari isn’t taking former Tates Creek standout Darrin Horn’s team lightly.
I watched their game last night with Florida. They shouldn’t have been in the game and then all of the sudden you turn around and they’ve got the ball and it’s a five-point game. I watched their game with Alabama. They beat Alabama. I watched their game with Mississippi. They had Mississippi beat. If you watch the end of the game, you thought they won. If you didn’t see the score, you said, ‘South Carolina won.’ And they lost and it was the same thing. They’re good enough to beat us and if we don’t come and play one of our better games, we get beat.”
Unlike last year’s team, this Kentucky unit has fared better on the road and owns a 4-0 record against conference foes away from home. Last year’s team lost six games — all away from home — in the conference. Lamb said having more depth has made a difference in the team’s successful turnaround from last season.
“We have a deep team this year,” he said. “We know how to close games out. The crowds don’t affect us really because we have a lot of talented players on the court and if somebody’s not having a good night, somebody else will take their spot for them and finish it.”
Calipari likes the way his team is playing and also is pleased with his freshman class.
“I think all four of them are doing great,” he said. “They’re getting better, learning, attentive, focused. I think they’re all the first ones in there because they’re excited about playing. So no, I don’t believe (they will hit a wall). They may in February somewhere with the schedule of games we have coming up. We could get hit in the mouth.”
The Kentucky freshman knows Kentucky can’t look past South Carolina when the two teams meet for the second time this season today in Columbia, S.C. The top-ranked Wildcats (21-1, 8-0 Southeastern Conference), defeated the Gamecocks (9-12, 1-6) on Jan. 7 at Rupp Arena, but Kidd-Gilchrist said the earlier-season victory “doesn’t mean anything” and is worthless.
“It’s another game,” he said.
Kentucky sophomore guard Doron Lamb said the team’s mission is simple: Keep winning and keep an even keel for the remainder of the regular season.
“We take every game like they’re No. 1 in the country like us, so we have to win every game so far and we’re not trying to lose anymore,” he said. “So we just have to keep playing hard in practice and keep playing hard in the game.”
Kentucky coach John Calipari agreed with Kidd-Gilchrist and Lamb and expects a different encounter this time around. The last time Kentucky ventured into Columbia with the No. 1 ranking, the Gamecocks stunned the Wildcats 68-62 two years ago, ending the team’s two-week run as the top-ranked team in the nation.
“We approach every game the same and I’m going to go in there today like we played North Carolina or anybody else. We’re going on the road. It’s going to be a hard game.”
Although South¿Carolina has won just one game in its past five games, Calipari isn’t taking former Tates Creek standout Darrin Horn’s team lightly.
I watched their game last night with Florida. They shouldn’t have been in the game and then all of the sudden you turn around and they’ve got the ball and it’s a five-point game. I watched their game with Alabama. They beat Alabama. I watched their game with Mississippi. They had Mississippi beat. If you watch the end of the game, you thought they won. If you didn’t see the score, you said, ‘South Carolina won.’ And they lost and it was the same thing. They’re good enough to beat us and if we don’t come and play one of our better games, we get beat.”
Unlike last year’s team, this Kentucky unit has fared better on the road and owns a 4-0 record against conference foes away from home. Last year’s team lost six games — all away from home — in the conference. Lamb said having more depth has made a difference in the team’s successful turnaround from last season.
“We have a deep team this year,” he said. “We know how to close games out. The crowds don’t affect us really because we have a lot of talented players on the court and if somebody’s not having a good night, somebody else will take their spot for them and finish it.”
Calipari likes the way his team is playing and also is pleased with his freshman class.
“I think all four of them are doing great,” he said. “They’re getting better, learning, attentive, focused. I think they’re all the first ones in there because they’re excited about playing. So no, I don’t believe (they will hit a wall). They may in February somewhere with the schedule of games we have coming up. We could get hit in the mouth.”
