VIDEO: Cats Talk Prep for NCAA Midwest Region
Mark Pope and the Cats discuss opening-round matchup with Troy.
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UK PLAYERS Q&A:
* Lamont Butler says his shoulder feels better, and he's ready to go out and compete.
* Team did a dinner at Jeff Ruby's and watched Remember the Titans before they left Lexington for the tournament, a little bonding moment for them.
* Butler thinks this team is hungry to compete in the tournament, to be remembered at UK. Six more games to show what they can do.
* On Coach Pope's message... Butler says it's to go out and have fun, play free.
* Andrew Carr on what he was doing this time last year and did he remember watching Kentucky play Oakland... He says they were on the wrong side of the bubble, didn't get to play, and he did watch the UK-Oakland game. Says he probably wouldn't be here unless that game went that way.
* Otega Oweh says he remembers being at home, watching these games last year and wishing he could be playing in the tournament.
* Koby Brea says that Oakland-UK game showed that you have to show up, that everyone comes to the NCAA Tourney ready to play and prove themselves.
* Brea says this season exceeded his expectations, the whole experience at UK. "But there's still a whole lot more to do." Oweh echoes those comments. "Blessed and thankful to be on this stage." Butler said it was a roller-coaster of a year, but that kind of brought us even closer together and has us ready to go win a championship.
* Carr says the team's emphasis on ball-screen coverage on the defensive end of the floor has really helped them late in the season. That commitment has helped them become a lot better defensively.
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UK HC MARK POPE Q&A:
* On offering to pay for fans' gas... Not the smartest thing I've done. (smiles)
* Approaching this game the same way they've approached all their games this season, the same intensity and focus.
* On Troy's coach saying the tougher team will win this game... Pope agrees. But sometimes the definition of toughness is different to different people. For Pope's team, it's about staying focused on the task at hand, where you are in the moment.
* On UK's health... We're exactly where we want to be.
* On what advice Ansley Almonor might have for a high seed playing a low seed... He's got that good perspective.
* On Troy -- Only team we played in this league that was better than them on the offensive glass was Texas A&M. They're kinda like Mizzou in how they approach things. Really disruptive on defense. Top guard has ridiculous steals numbers. They walk the ball up the court a lot after scores, but they score something like 18% in transition, which is like what an Alabama does. Shows you how those steals and turnovers turn into points for them
* Pope... We have to be what we were for the majority of the season: a great ball-protection team and a great defensive rebounding team.
