Good morning, HOB. We'll have Coach Cal and select UK players joining us this morning to talk about their game on Saturday at No. 2 Auburn. We're scheduled to get going around 10:15 ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes...
JOHN CALIPARI Q&A:
* On going into a hostile environment and the Auburn rivalry overall... Anytime you're in a league and the other team is good, you know it's a significant game, Cal says. But the problem with that at Kentucky is every game they walk into, it's a significant game for the other team, so they have to treat them all the same. "They're a good team," he said of Auburn. They're big. Good guard play. Throw lobs. Had not seen them until the plane trip back from Texas. "They're really good."
* On Shaedon Sharpe... Cal cuts the question off. Says he has to leave in about six minutes. "He says he plans to be here next year... whether I play him or not this year. If he's ready to play, I'll put him in." Says he'll always do right by the kids.
* Tough matchups in this game, Cal says. Long guys who can shoot it.
* Another chance to learn about the team, Cal says. Learned something at A&M in that they shot 36% and still won. Guys are finding ways to win unrelated to their scoring. "We have a bunch of guys with a great mindset."
* On 7-1 center Walker Kessler... Getting a chance to play a lot. UNC had a bunch of good big men, so he had to be patient there.
* Cal says he's got to go. Early flight, pilot issues. Apologizes for only taking a handful of questions.
OSCAR TSHIEBWE Q&A:
* On the challenge of going up against Auburn's strong big guys... He doesn't see it as a personal thing. He goes out to fight no matter who he's playing against. .... But later says it's an opportunity to go and show what he can do against a guy, Jabari Smith, who is expected to be a top pick.
* The mindset of the team right now is that they're going into a war. The Cats are ready to do whatever it takes to win. "Willing do die." (Easy, now, Oscar. It's still just a game. Ha.) Oscar said the fight is really against themselves, and if they are ready to be the best version of themselves, he doesn't think anyone can beat them.
* On what makes Auburn good... They fight, too, Oscar says. It's the word of the day. "Comes down to who finishes the job."
* On whether he'd rather have 30 points or 30 rebounds... No hesitation, 30 rebounds. Says he sees guys all the time in the NBA who get 50+ points and lose the game.
* Team is really good at communicating and letting each other know when they see something that their teammate is not doing well, holding each other accountable. And guys take it the right way. A guy like TyTy Washington would put a lot of pressure on himself if things weren't going well early in the season. Now he just gets in the gym and goes back to work.
* On what he's seen from Shaedon Sharpe in practice... He's been helping us, doing good. A little bit of a problem in not knowing the plays, but something he's getting better with. Oscar thinks he's going to play when Coach Cal thinks he's ready.
AUBURN COACH BRUCE PEARL:
* Pearl says Cats are different, offensively, than UK teams he's used to coaching against. Very skilled. Best offense in the league.
* Cats' rebounding margins are "off the charts," Pearl says, and the pace UK is playing at is really impressive. They get it and go. Kinda reminds him of when UK had John Wall.
* Auburn's guys seem "pretty locked in," Pearl said.
* Asked what this means -- the first time two Top 12 teams have met in their current arena -- Pearl says it's the biggest home game since he's been there. A lot at stake here. The team that wins will be in control of the regular-season championship moving forward. Huge opportunity for both teams to put everyone else in a position to look up at them.
* It's great that on a Saturday in mid-January, all eyes of the country will be on Auburn, Ala., for basketball, Pearl said.
* Tshiebwe is the biggest, strongest, fastest big guy he's seen this season. Likes Ware coming off the bench, too. "If (Tshiebwe) is around the miss, he's going to get it... And if you try to help on D and block a shot, he just gobbles up the back side of every miss. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't." ... "He gets every 50/50 ball."
* Pearl laments that they haven't been very effective in drawing fouls. (Oh boy. Here we go.) Says Ole Miss only had two fouls at halftime, and Georgia was about the same just before the half. Doesn't think his guys are doing a good job of driving in, looking for contact.
* On Wheeler and Washington... Recruited TyTy hard. The last year, he is one of those guys you may say is a top 5 most-improved player. Was already good. Even better now. Wheeler gets downhill on you, quicker than he looks, Pearl said. And unafraid. Courageous, dynamic, scoring point guards.
* "They got all the pieces," Pearl said of UK
* On how he views the UK-AUB rivalry now... Pearl says the average Kentucky fan would like to beat Tennessee more than any team in the league, but thinks the Cats and TIgers have played a lot of meaningful games in recent years. "You want this game to matter." Says there was a time when Auburn would always play you hard, but may not have enough to beat you. UK just had to make sure they were ready to play, and they'd likely win. Now, UK knows Auburn has enough to beat them any year, and the game matters a lot more.
JOHN CALIPARI Q&A:
* On going into a hostile environment and the Auburn rivalry overall... Anytime you're in a league and the other team is good, you know it's a significant game, Cal says. But the problem with that at Kentucky is every game they walk into, it's a significant game for the other team, so they have to treat them all the same. "They're a good team," he said of Auburn. They're big. Good guard play. Throw lobs. Had not seen them until the plane trip back from Texas. "They're really good."
* On Shaedon Sharpe... Cal cuts the question off. Says he has to leave in about six minutes. "He says he plans to be here next year... whether I play him or not this year. If he's ready to play, I'll put him in." Says he'll always do right by the kids.
* Tough matchups in this game, Cal says. Long guys who can shoot it.
* Another chance to learn about the team, Cal says. Learned something at A&M in that they shot 36% and still won. Guys are finding ways to win unrelated to their scoring. "We have a bunch of guys with a great mindset."
* On 7-1 center Walker Kessler... Getting a chance to play a lot. UNC had a bunch of good big men, so he had to be patient there.
* Cal says he's got to go. Early flight, pilot issues. Apologizes for only taking a handful of questions.
OSCAR TSHIEBWE Q&A:
* On the challenge of going up against Auburn's strong big guys... He doesn't see it as a personal thing. He goes out to fight no matter who he's playing against. .... But later says it's an opportunity to go and show what he can do against a guy, Jabari Smith, who is expected to be a top pick.
* The mindset of the team right now is that they're going into a war. The Cats are ready to do whatever it takes to win. "Willing do die." (Easy, now, Oscar. It's still just a game. Ha.) Oscar said the fight is really against themselves, and if they are ready to be the best version of themselves, he doesn't think anyone can beat them.
* On what makes Auburn good... They fight, too, Oscar says. It's the word of the day. "Comes down to who finishes the job."
* On whether he'd rather have 30 points or 30 rebounds... No hesitation, 30 rebounds. Says he sees guys all the time in the NBA who get 50+ points and lose the game.
* Team is really good at communicating and letting each other know when they see something that their teammate is not doing well, holding each other accountable. And guys take it the right way. A guy like TyTy Washington would put a lot of pressure on himself if things weren't going well early in the season. Now he just gets in the gym and goes back to work.
* On what he's seen from Shaedon Sharpe in practice... He's been helping us, doing good. A little bit of a problem in not knowing the plays, but something he's getting better with. Oscar thinks he's going to play when Coach Cal thinks he's ready.
AUBURN COACH BRUCE PEARL:
* Pearl says Cats are different, offensively, than UK teams he's used to coaching against. Very skilled. Best offense in the league.
* Cats' rebounding margins are "off the charts," Pearl says, and the pace UK is playing at is really impressive. They get it and go. Kinda reminds him of when UK had John Wall.
* Auburn's guys seem "pretty locked in," Pearl said.
* Asked what this means -- the first time two Top 12 teams have met in their current arena -- Pearl says it's the biggest home game since he's been there. A lot at stake here. The team that wins will be in control of the regular-season championship moving forward. Huge opportunity for both teams to put everyone else in a position to look up at them.
* It's great that on a Saturday in mid-January, all eyes of the country will be on Auburn, Ala., for basketball, Pearl said.
* Tshiebwe is the biggest, strongest, fastest big guy he's seen this season. Likes Ware coming off the bench, too. "If (Tshiebwe) is around the miss, he's going to get it... And if you try to help on D and block a shot, he just gobbles up the back side of every miss. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't." ... "He gets every 50/50 ball."
* Pearl laments that they haven't been very effective in drawing fouls. (Oh boy. Here we go.) Says Ole Miss only had two fouls at halftime, and Georgia was about the same just before the half. Doesn't think his guys are doing a good job of driving in, looking for contact.
* On Wheeler and Washington... Recruited TyTy hard. The last year, he is one of those guys you may say is a top 5 most-improved player. Was already good. Even better now. Wheeler gets downhill on you, quicker than he looks, Pearl said. And unafraid. Courageous, dynamic, scoring point guards.
* "They got all the pieces," Pearl said of UK
* On how he views the UK-AUB rivalry now... Pearl says the average Kentucky fan would like to beat Tennessee more than any team in the league, but thinks the Cats and TIgers have played a lot of meaningful games in recent years. "You want this game to matter." Says there was a time when Auburn would always play you hard, but may not have enough to beat you. UK just had to make sure they were ready to play, and they'd likely win. Now, UK knows Auburn has enough to beat them any year, and the game matters a lot more.
