UK-Arkansas Glance | Portis a pro, pressure no problem?
NO. 18 ARKANSAS (23-5, 12-3 SEC)
AT NO. 1 KENTUCKY (28-0, 15-0 SEC)
Game time: 4 p.m. ET
Site: Rupp Arena (24,000), Lexington, Ky.
Favorite: Kentucky by 15
Series: UK leads 25-11. Last meeting: Arkansas won 71-66 in OT on Feb. 27, 2014 in Lexington
Television: CBS (Kevin Harlan, Bill Raftery)
Radio: WHAS-AM 840 (Tom Leach, Mike Pratt, Matt Jones)
ARKANSAS
Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Anton Beard 6-0 Fr. 1.9 6.4
G-Rashad Madden 6-5 Sr. 4.8* 9.9
G-Michael Qualls 6-6 Jr. 5.2 15.1
F-Alandise Harris 6-6 Sr. 3.1 7.5
F-Bobby Portis 6-11 So. 8.5 17.6
* assists per game
Key reserves – Anthlon Bell, G, 6-3, Jr., 8.1 ppg, 1.6 apg; Jacorey Williams, F, 6-8, Jr., 5.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg; Moses Kingsley, F, 6-10, So., 4.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg.
KENTUCKY
Pos.Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Andrew Harrison 6-6 So. 4.1* 8.4
G-Aaron Harrison 6-6 So. 2.3 11.2
F-Trey Lyles 6-10 Fr. 5.1 7.9
F-Karl-Anthony Towns 6-11 Fr. 6.6 9.3
C-Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 Jr. 6.4 9.1
* assists per game
Key reserves – Devin Booker, G, 6-5, Fr., 11.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.3 apg; Dakari Johnson, C, 7-0, So., 7.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg; Tyler Ulis, G, 5-9, Fr., 5.3 ppg, 3.7 apg; Marcus Lee, F, 6-9, So., 2. 8 ppg, 3.1 rpg.
STORY LINES
1. Bobby Portis' NBA audition. Phil Jackson was at the Cats' practice Friday and a horde of other pro scouts will be at this game, not only for Kentucky's gaggle of future draft picks but to see them against Arkansas' 6-foot-11 Portis – and vice versa. ESPN's Chad Ford has Cats big men Karl-Anthony Towns (6-11), Willie Cauley-Stein (7 feet), Trey Lyles (6-10) and Dakari Johnson (7 feet) going No. 2, 6, 22 and 28 overall in the next draft. He has Portis going 17th.
"He can really shoot the ball to be that size. He's good around the basket, he can shoot threes, excellent from the post area shooting turnaround jumpers," said UK assistant Kenny Payne, who has seen many opposing players attack the Cats like they're trying out for the NBA. "Every guy that comes in that's a pretty good player in our conference, or just an opponent that's not in our conference, if they play well against Kentucky they're thinking, 'I'm a pro.' This kid is a really good player and possibly is a pro."
READ MORE |No. 1 Wildcats "lock in" for big games
2. More attention no big deal? John Calipari said this week it will be "impossible" for his players to ignore the increasing heat from the growing spotlight as Kentucky tries to remain undefeated. But shooting guard Devin Booker simply shrugged at the idea. "I don't know about that," he said, "because when you first come to Kentucky the spotlight is on you. That's the reason a lot of us came here: to be on that big stage. I kind of see what you're talking about, how it's becoming more and more each and every game, but we just have to focus on what's at hand."
To that point, Payne doesn't notice the circus affecting the players. "Not at all," he said. "The great thing about coaching these kids: They're in the moment. They're not worrying about the spotlight, the heat, the pressure, the perfect season. All of that doesn't come into play. They want to win every game, of course. They go out and compete. But we keep this one game at a time."
– Kyle Tucker