SEC play starts Saturday but guard Lamont Butler says UK remains focused on today's game with Brown. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky had a long time — 10 days to be exact — to dwell on an 85-65 loss to Ohio State.
“It was definitely tough to go out like that and have a long time to dwell on it and think about that game,” Kentucky guard Lamont Butler said Tuesday. “I think the main thing for us is to use it as motivation — use it as a tool to get better. Hopefully, as the season goes on, we can look back and see how much better we’ve gotten from that point.”
Butler said the team’s main point of emphasis since the loss has been “to get better” and keep improving since the disappointing loss to the Buckeyes.
“The last game left a salty taste in my mouth,” Butler said. “We didn’t want to lose that way, especially at Madison Square Garden.”
In addition to more practice time, the break also gave the Wildcats an opportunity to take a “mental break” from the court and spend time with family and friends.
“We get so locked into just hoops that we forget that there’s life to also be lived,” Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson said. “I know (coach) Hart talks about it all the time, but basketball definitely doesn’t define us. Getting to spend time with our family was really good, and I’m grateful for it.”
The 10th-ranked Wildcats (10-2) return from the Christmas break Tuesday when they take on Brown in a New Year’s Eve contest. The Browns (7-4) are coming off an 87-53 loss to No. 7 Kansas on Dec. 22.
“They’re a great defensive team,” Robinson said. “They’ve blocked a lot of shots and they have a really good player (Kino Lilly). It’s going to be a good challenge for us, especially after the Ohio State game.”
Following the final non-conference game of the season, Kentucky will then open Southeastern Conference play against No. 6 Florida at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Gators (13-0) are one of three unbeaten teams remaining in the league. Oklahoma (13-0) and No. 1 Tennessee (12-0) also are undefeated on the season.
“We take one opponent at a time,” Butler said. “Right now we’re focused on Brown, but we know the SEC is going to be a tough conference. We’ve got a lot of great teams in there. Right now we’re going to focus on Brown, get ready to beat them. That’s the biggest game we’ve got right now. That’s what we’ll focus on — winning the conference.”
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NEXT GAME: Brown at Kentucky, 2 p.m., Tuesday. TV/Radio: ESPNU, UK Radio Network.
3 Responses
Who knows could be a blessing, I’ll keep cheering them on regardless.
Bad taste or not, we will have more nights like Ohio State if they don’t stop playing Calipari ball and start playing Pope ball.
We got out rebounded by 6 by a smaller Brown team. Butler had only 3 assists to 2 turnovers. We only took 28 three point shots because they were looking for their own shot first. Robinson sleep walks through the entire game. Trent Noah needs more minutes even if it comes at Robinson’s expense. Brea finally started cutting to the basket when they overplayed the 3 point line and he got wide open layups. Sure it was a 34 point win, but if we play this way in the SEC, it will be a long season.