Even if others were mistaken, John Calipari had no problem remembering who is next on the No. 1 Kentucky men’s basketball team’s schedule.
As Calipari joined the Southeastern Conference’s weekly basketball teleconference Monday morning, the conference call moderator introduced the Kentucky coach and said he and his team were preparing to face Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
“I thought we were playing Mississippi State,” Calipari said. “These goofballs have me watching Mississippi State tape. Should I go watch Texas A&M tape?”
With that, Calipari laughed off the gaffe and confirmed Kentucky — which is a unanimous No. 1 in both major polls — is focused on its matchup against MSU at 6 p.m. Wednesday (SEC Network) at Humphrey Coliseum.
Several hundred miles away in Starkville, the Bulldogs insisted they are focused, too.
“How could you not be ready for a game like this?” MSU senior Roquez Johnson said. “To have them coming in, undefeated, No. 1 team, it’s a great opportunity. This is my last chance to play them, so I’m excited.”
The showdown will give MSU (12-15, 5-9 SEC) another chance to secure a signature win that has been elusive. It also will be the last game of MSU’s three-game homestand. MSU lost to Ole Miss 71-65 and to then-No. 18 Arkansas 65-61 in the first two.
For MSU coach Rick Ray, the trick to pulling the upset might not involve focusing on Kentucky.
“I haven’t really watched any film on them yet,” Ray said. “It’s not about what Kentucky does or does not do. It’s about what we do. If we can cut down on our turnovers and avoid the mental lapses we’ve had in close games, we will have a shot. It’s all about fixing what’s wrong with us, not necessarily combating what’s right about them.”
Kentucky (27-0, 14-0) has done plenty right as it continues its bid to become the first men’s Division I team since Indiana in 1976 to finish a season unbeaten.
For Calipari, though, the trip to Starkville isn’t a footnote to a magical season. It’s a matchup against a team that has been close to several marquee wins.
“They had Mississippi down 10, had a chance to win the game,” Calipari said. “They had Arkansas down at half, had a chance to win the game. I’ve hit Rick (Ray) throughout the season. When I’ve watched his team, I’m amazed at how hard they’re playing, how in sync they are with each other. I think he’s doing a fabulous job.”
While Calipari’s assessment of Ray’s Bulldogs was glowing, MSU is 13th in the SEC in scoring (62.1 points per game) and has lost four of its past five games, including three at home.
Still, MSU’s players haven’t lost hope, even though a loss to Kentucky would guarantee MSU its third-consecutive losing regular season in three years with Ray as coach.
“It’s the kind of game you love to play in,” MSU guard Craig Sword said. “It would mean so much to win. You want to compete against the best, and they are the best.”
While MSU will try to pull the upset, much of the hype surrounding the game involves Kentucky’s quest for a perfect season. The only bumps Kentucky has experienced were an 89-86 overtime win against Ole Miss and a double-overtime victory at Texas A&M.
“I think at this point to be undefeated is really something that’s hard to do because at some point you’re going to have a letdown, or you’re going to come against a team that just gets hot, or you face a team riding an emotional high,” Ray said. “What I think (Calipari) has done is molded that depth into being more concerned about the team that individuals. They have depth. He has a luxury that if someone is not adhering to what he wants to do, he just puts in another McDonald’s All-American.”
Kentucky has nine high school All-Americans on its roster. It also has a lineup that features seven players projected to go in the 2015 NBA draft, according to ESPN.com’s latest projections.
All seven — guards Devin Booker, Aaron Harrison, and Andrew Harrison and forwards Willie Cauley-Stein, Karl-Anthony Towns, Dakari Johnson, and Trey Lyles — are averaging between 7.5 and 11.0 ppg.
“(Calipari) does a good job managing that,” Ray said. “Any time you have that many great players on one team, they naturally could have an ego. But he does a great job getting them to buy in and worry about Kentucky basketball first and foremost, then worry about individual stuff second.”
Booker, a freshman shooting guard from Moss Point who averages 21 minutes per game off the bench, shares the team scoring lead with Aaron Harrison at 11 ppg.
In addition to Kentucky’s depth, MSU will have to contend with the Wildcats’ size. Cauley-Stein, Towns, Johnson, and Lyles are 6-10 or taller.
That could put pressure on the undersized MSU frontcourt of junior Gavin Ware and Johnson. Ware and Johnson are 6-8.
“We have to have those guys on the floor,” Ray said. “We can’t afford for one of them to get into foul trouble.”
Ready’s status unknown
MSU sophomore point guard I.J. Ready, who averages 8.2 ppg., missed the loss to Arkansas on Saturday due to an ankle injury he suffered in Thursday against Ole Miss.
Ray didn’t have an update Monday about Ready’s status.
“We took yesterday off and we haven’t had practice yet,” Ray said. “I won’t know anything until I.J. talks to the trainer and the trainer talks to me.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.