Feb. 17, 2009
Audio: Listen to the entire teleconference at SECsports.com
Vanderbilt basketball head coach Kevin Stallings and Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie fielded questions about their matchup Tuesday with the national media during Monday’s SEC Teleconference. Find out what each coach had to say about the matchup.
Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt head coach
Opening comments:
We had a long we last week. We only had one game and then obviously didn’t play very well at Tennessee. So, we’re looking forward to getting back out. It’s always exciting when Kentucky comes to town. It’s a game our fans get very excited about. Hopefully, we’ll play a lot better than we did on Saturday and hopefully play better than we did the first time around earlier in Lexington.
What kind of a roll do you think Jodie Meeks is on right now?
He’s playing as well as anyone in the country. You hear a lot about Blake Griffin and Stephen Curry and some players like that, but I can’t imagine anybody’s having a better season than Meeks is having. He’s just been absolutely phenomenal in every way. Good for him. He had a tough year last year, and it’s really nice to see a guy bounce back and work as hard as he’s apparently worked to get himself in the position that he’s in right now.
How does the roll that he’s on affect how you will guard Meeks?
I think that you have to focus the attention of your defense on him, because he’s proven that his play and his scoring ability warrant that. I think that he is such a great player, a great offensive player and a great weapon for them that you’re not foolish not to give him the utmost attention. Sometimes that comes at the expense of things that you might want to do defensively. He necessitates that kind of thinking because of his ability.
How would Patrick Patterson’s absence affect what you do defensively?
I don’t think it changes what you want to do. Obviously, Patterson’s a great player in his own right as well. You have to give both of those guys as much attention as you can possibly give them without foregoing the things that you have to do on their other players. Perry Stevenson’s having a very good year. Michael Porter’s been very, very solid for them. They have other guys, as they proved in the first game against us, who are very, very capable of getting the job done.
It’s just one of those things where it’s a difficulty assignment. They have two very dominating players, and then some other guys who are obviously very capable.
What did you do in the first matchup to contain Meeks?
I don’t know if it was us or maybe he just missed some open shots. I think we got fortunate that he didn’t shot the ball particularly well that day. I’m not sure that it was any one or two things that we did as much as maybe he was saving all of those points for Tennessee when he really needed them.
Do you notice any differences in Kentucky’s defense now and when you first played them?
They look very, very good defensively right now. Not that they weren’t the first time we played them, because they were. They look like they’re playing very well not only individually but as a team. They’re shot blocking has obviously been a real strength of theirs all season long. The challenges when you play Kentucky begin with how you’re going to defend Meeks and Patterson and the other guys, but they don’t end there because they’re very sound defensively as well.
What do you remember about last year’s game in Nashville?
That we won. That’s the thing that I remember the most. That doesn’t help us this year unfortunately.
What do you attribute your team’s lack of effort against Tennessee to?
I’m not really sure. It’s really the first time all season that I’ve been disappointed, not in how we’ve played because we’ve had some poor performances, in how we prepared. I didn’t think our practice sessions were very good leading up to the game, and I thought our play reflected that on Saturday. Tennessee obviously had something to do with it. They played well, and Tyler Smith was terrific. I just didn’t think that we prepared ourselves during that entire week the way that you have to in this league to beat a good team.
How are Jermaine Beal and A.J. Ogilvy are playing now, and what’s their importance to your team?
They’re as important as they’ve ever been. They’re our two veterans who play the most. Neither had particularly good days on Saturday. So, hopefully they’ll bounce back and have better games Tuesday.
Billy Gillispie, Kentucky head coach
Opening comments:
We’re looking forward to going over there (to Nashville). They’re really playing well, and that’s coincided with Ogilvy getting back healthy. He’s such a force. Their young players continue to get better and better and better. It’s a really nice team. They won three in a row before Saturday’s game against Tennessee on the road. So, it’s a team that really escalating their play and coming on well.
Do you have any indication for Patterson’s availability for Tuesday’s game?
No; he’s still day-to-day.
Will the rest that Patterson’s getting for his ankle help his finger ailment?
I saw an injury report and that was an indication. We don’t want to have him out, because we definitely need him. He’s so central to everything that we do, but his finger wasn’t getting any better. Our trainer put on the report that this time off has been very helpful for his finger. He was talking about some differences in how he’s going to be able to treat it, and maybe not nearly as a cumbersome bandage that he’s been putting on it. Maybe it’s going to be a positive in that respect.
What’s your overall impression of Vanderbilt, and do you see any difference with them since the first matchup?
Yeah, they’re totally different. First of all, they have Ogilvy. He didn’t play the first time, and they came in here (Rupp Arena) and took the lead right on us. They played us very well, and whipped us on the boards in our own gym. They beat us in transition and drove the basketball any time that they wanted to. Now they add Ogilvy, who’s getting better every single time out. He looks really, really healthy and is back to being his old self. They have a lot of young, talented players who continue to get better and better every single time out. They’re a team that’s really gaining steam, and I’m sure they have high aspirations.
We have to understand how the importance of each game really affects the outcome of the entire season. I know they’ll be playing as hard as they possibly can. We’re going to try to match their intensity.