VIDEO: Kentucky AC Bruiser Flint Previews North Carolina Matchup
Cats' assistant coach previews clash with No. 9 Tar Heels.
kentucky.rivals.com
BRUISER FLINT Q&A:
* You always get excited when you play not only UNC but in these type of events and the kind of energy and excitement that will be in the arena. "If the coach has to motivate you for these type of games, you're in trouble."
* On Ugo... Not sure what to expect, but he's been pretty good in practice. Having played last year, he's got a good idea of what they'll ask him to do. Brings a little bit more physicality and defense to the table.
* It's going to take some time to adjust having the big guys back available, but they're excited about having them. Bradshaw got his feet wet in the first game, played well in the second game, got a little tired but did well, so they kept him out there on the floor. Extra week of practice helps him understand what they're trying to do as well.
* Bacot is a big guy, very powerful. Gonna do his thing around the basket, "mush you" a little bit. Not a big guy like Dickinson who will step out and shoot 3s on you, but he runs the court better. Will get out on you in transition if you're not careful.
* Biggest thing on Saturday is looking to see how they play with a different roster. Gotta adjust some things. I think we're going to play a little bit different in terms of our speed. Got more of a post presence. You guys love it because we've been shooting all these 3s, but you've got to have balance to score inside and outside. Gotta be better defensively, too, which the big guys should help on rim protection.
* On 3s going down the last couple of days... Sometimes you have to give the other team credit. Teams have been trying to keep them out of transition and run them off the 3-point line. But this is a good shooting team, and if the shots are there, we're going to shoot 'em. We can score the ball at any position on the floor.
* On the guards handling less minutes as new big guys enter the mix... If you want to win, you sacrifice. Cal talks about that all the time because he's always got talent on his teams.
* On Justin Edwards... Media looks at Justin different than coaches do. Bruiser sees him as a "Swiss Army Knife." His strength should be his versatility. Can't just focus on being a scorer. Look at his total box score. Want to see him with rebounds, assists, and defending the other team's forward he matches up with.
* On Tre Mitchell's role moving forward... Tre's gonna be Tre. You can move him around. Not a big adjustment for him. He's comfortable playing where you need him, whether its 4 or 5. We'll still run offense through him because he's so smart.
* On playing games like this and what kind of appreciation it gives him for being in this program... He used to laugh when Cal would say "Everybody's Super Bowl." Then he came here to work for him, and he realized that was true. Added that players love playing in those environments, though. He's played in some places where there's only 500 people there. That's no fun for a player.
