March Madness: Wichita State-Kentucky a rematch from 2014 NCAA thriller

United Kingdom and coach John Calipari are hoping the players got the goof-around out of their systems, because this will be a game where lapses will mean it’s time to pack up the uniforms. “I saw people saying thank you”.

“We were playing in the ACC Tournament where we were playing a game and not only are the opposing fans there but Carolina’s fans are also there waiting to boo us, too”.

I study a great deal of stats on Wichita State, and come NCAA Tournament time, I spend almost a whole day analyzing their opponent. “But now, at halftime the other night, we said, ‘Hey, this is great, we’re only down 8”. “I have to take the big stage in order to wear it”. Over the last four tournaments, Wichita State has gone 6-3 in the NCAA, and they have wins over the blueblood programs of Arizona, Indiana, and Kansas. “Kentucky is an elite-level team and we knew that, but I just wish we could have seen what might have happened had we made more than 8 of 32 3s”. They never made the United Kingdom recruiting Rolodex filled with five-star prospects. “… But in the end, it took a loss to validate our team, which I think is really ironic and sad”.

“Me either”, Kelly added. The duo combines for 36.4 points, 7.1 assists and 6.6 rebounds per contest.

Friday’s action between Dayton/Wichita State and Kentucky/Northern Kentucky set up an intriguing matchup for Sunday afternoon – 10-seed Wichita State vs. 2-seed Kentucky.

If there is one thing that John Calipari and Gregg Marshall can agree on, it is that the NCAA Selection Committee does a pretty bad job in seeding their teams. We probably weren’t the best, most prepared students. So you have to execute. We’re focused on us.

NOTHING BUT W: The Shockers’ 16-game winning streak and the Wildcats’ 12-game streak are the longest left in the tournament.

“It’s the kind of game that’s just competitive, you know what it’s going to be, and you love walking into those kind of games, you know how good they are”, Calipari said. Being the first to the floor on a loose ball.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari spent most of his presser time Thursday discussing how well the selection committee did. I was focusing on mine, but when I’m making good decision, I feel like the whole team has been making good decisions. We just played really good together and came out and came down to it.

If you’re looking for a team that might have been under-seeded, look no further than Rhode Island.

Speaking of Bam (Adebayo), Hawkins cited UK’s double-double machine of a freshman as a reason the Cats might not diligently box out. Kentucky seniors Dominique Hawkins and Derek Willis are still Wildcats.

For the rest of us, it is an impossible memory to disregard at a time such as this.

EDRICE ADEBAYO: We’re just here to play basketball, stick with our teammates and just be together.

Our team has gotten better.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari says he doesn’t put much stock into three-year-old flashbacks, but has the same kind of respect that he did when the roles were somewhat reversed and a badly mis-seeded United Kingdom club was trying to take down a previously undefeated Wichita State squad in an 8-versus-1 matchup.

“A three-headed monster at the five”, the Wichita State coach said.