KENTUCKY HC MARK POPE Q&A:
* Pope: Terrific night of basketball. This Lipscomb team is terrific. Incredibly well-coached. I don't know that if we'll play this many teams that are this committed and this disciplined to the way they play this year. Good win for our guys. We competed.
* On avoiding a letdown after Duke win... We don't stress. We don't get nervous. We don't worry because that stuff doesn't actually work. We usually push that narrative so hard (as fans) that it creates pressure, so we don't think about that at all. We're just hungry to get better and be a great team, and we know we don't have a lot of time to do it.
* On Jaxson Robinson bouncing back... He had a good game against Duke. His offensive numbers weren't what you would expect, but he didn't let it affect his defensive energy, and his attitude and support and emotion for his teammates when they were the ones scoring was great. It's what you dream about coaching. It's going to serve him well here and in the NBA.
* On Koby Brea... Doing great, but still some things he do to continue growing. Thinks he has opportunities to get downhill and score off two feet. Not just a 3s guy. If you overplay him, he can beat you on cuts. We're working on that.
* On what it looks like if Butler hits his shots from the perimeter... We don't spend a lot of time thinking about guys making shots, we're thinking about taking shots. He shot it great all thru camp and all summer for us. He's finding a real good balance of driving or pulling up, stepping back. It can destroy everything you've prepped for and scouted as a defense.
* On being the first Kentucky team to hit 10+ 3s in their first four games of the season... Disappointed. (Laughs) How did we not do that in 1996? I gotta call my boys and get on them
* Only thing he'd nitpick tonight is having just 10 assists. That's not us. But the way Lipscomb played us, it wound up like that.
* Would like to be a 35 3s a game team. Thinks they could stand to shoot about 10 more.
* Is there a % he's hoping to see Lamont Butler shoot from 3... Thinks he can be an elite shooter. He'll be way better in our system than what he showed at San Diego State. No disrespect to those coaches, who are wonderful, but it's just a different system for him. It will allow him to be better than the % he's shot in his career. Really dangerous if people choose to go under the screen on him.
* On defense... Loved the first half. Wanted to hold 'em under 39% That's our mark. Only one backdoor in the first half. That doesn't happen a lot with Lipscomb. Really proud of that. Only gave up 3 offensive rebounds the first half. We had some situations on the pick-and-pop with their 5 man that were challenging. We had some stretches in the second half where we weren't as laser-focused as I'd like. I'd like to see us lock in for the full game and that be the standard we hold ourselves to.
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LIPSCOMB HC LENNIE ACUFF Q&A:
* Boy oh boy, you leave your guy for a second, they make it hurt. Hit 12 3s tonight and we fouled them on three more. "It's real pleasing to the eye unless you've got to guard 'em."
* UK is probably underrated defensively.
* If Lamont Butler shoots like that, he's going to play for a lot of money.
* I've seen some good shooters, but every time Brea shoots it, you think it's going in.
* When you play them, it's constant offensive pressure. You never get a chance to relax. They do a great job of getting the ball up the court, and they don't let you get set. Then they make good decisions. Fun to watch.
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UK PLAYERS BUTLER, JACKSON, BREA Q&A:
