UK-Texas A&M hoops TV, spread, story lines
Game time: 1 p.m. ET.
Site: Reed Arena (12,989), College Station, Texas.
Favorite: Kentucky by 141/2.
Series: UK leads 4-2.
Last meeting: UK won 68-51 on Jan. 21, 2014 in Lexington, Ky.
Television: CBS.
Radio: WHAS-AM 840, WAKY-103.5
TEXAS A&M
Pos. Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Alex Caruso 6-5 Jr. 6.4* 8.2
G-Jordan Green 6-5 Sr. 1.5* 6.5
G-Danuel House 6-7 Jr. 3.8 11.4
F-Jalen Jones 6-7 Jr. 6.0 12.1
F-Kourtney Roberson 6-9 Sr. 4.9 8.1
* assists per game
Key reserves – Antwan Space, F, 6-8, Jr., 5.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg; Alex Robinson, G, 6-1, Fr., 4.6 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.3 rpg; Peyton Allen, G, 6-5, Fr., 5.5 ppg; Davonte Fitzgerald, F, 6-7, So., 4.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg; Tavario Miller, F, 6-7, So., 4.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg.
KENTUCKY
Pos.Player Ht. Cl. Rb. Pts.
G-Andrew Harrison 6-6 So. 4.2* 7.6
G-Aaron Harrison 6-6 So. 2.1* 11.4
F-Trey Lyles 6-10 Fr. 5.6 7.9
F-Karl-Anthony Towns 6-11 Fr. 6.6 8.4
C-Willie Cauley-Stein 7-0 Jr. 7.0 9.9
* assists per game
Key reserves –Dakari Johnson, C, 7-0, So., 8.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg; Tyler Ulis, G, 5-9, Fr., 5.5 ppg, 4.0 apg; Devin Booker, G, 6-5, Fr., 10.2 ppg, 1.2 apg; Marcus Lee, F, 6-9, So., 3.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg; Derek Willis, F, 6-9, So., 3.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg.
STORY LINES
1. Where is Marcus Lee? After solid contributions off the bench in consecutive wins over North Carolina (eight points, two assists, two rebounds), UCLA (five points, six rebounds) and at Louisville (two points, three blocks, three rebounds) the 6-foot-9 sophomore all but disappeared in UK's overtime win over Ole Miss on Tuesday night. He played just one minute and recorded no stats. A former McDonald's All-American known for his high-flying dunks and blocked shots, Lee's 12.8 minutes per game are fewest among the Cats' platoon players.
"Marcus Lee is an energy guy," coach John Calipari said. "If he starts the game and he's not clapping, bouncing, showing an effervescence that he has, I'm not playing him. I told him that. There is no reason for him not to go in clapping, bouncing, blocking, running, flying, dunking. That's who he is. If he's not into that, then I'm not playing him. (But) he's the greatest kid. It's hard. What I'm asking them to do is hard. What's easier is every fifth play I'll do something that stands out and the rest of the time I'm going to coast. You don't win at the level we're trying to win playing that way."
2. Can the Cats hit clutch free throws? Kentucky made just 6 of 14 from the line in the final 3:34 of regulation and overtime against Ole Miss. Freshman Trey Lyles missed a pair with 15 seconds left in OT to allow the Rebels one last shot at tying the game. That did not sit well with Calipari, who told him, "Trey, we went to you late with 15 seconds to go, on purpose, for you to shoot those free throws."
"I told Trey, 'Trey, we went to you late with 15 seconds to go, on purpose, for you to shoot those free throws.' Now I told him this story. I did that with Tony Barbee as a freshman, playing Penn State in the conference tournament. We had never advanced to the finals in the history of the world. Threw the ball to Tony Barbee, in the same play we just ran. He caught it, they fouled him. Tony went bam, bam, game over. He went cling, clang, game on. So now you're like, 'Hey, man, am I going to go to you late in a game?' That's what is great about all these experiences for these kids, because he'll say, 'I'll never miss it again.' Yeah, I may never give you another chance."
3. Hey, you said add it and we'll use it. Calipari told players during a nine-day layoff between games to think of something they want to add to their games and work on it and then he'd add it to the way the Wildcats play. For 7-footer Dakari Johnson, it was mid-range jump shots. And early in the Ole Miss game, he let one fly from the baseline. It was not pretty.
"I saw it. I kind of cringed, like, 'Phew, not now!' " Calipari said. "But we've been working on that. That's one of the things he's added to his game. So I can't now work on it with him and then tell him not to do it. I wish there was a different score and time, but I let it go. But I did the same thing (as the crowd): 'Oh, please.' When he shot it, I said, 'Oh, my gosh, he's shooting it.' But the crazy thing is Andrew (Harrison) told him to shoot it. I think it was Andrew or Tyler (Ulis) said, 'Shoot it.' Because they're for each other. They know he's been working on that."