Kentucky and Tennessee ready for 3rd meeting this season as they seek Elite Eight berth
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kentucky and Tennessee are adding a new chapter to their border rivalry Friday night. They're taking it north, to Indianapolis, for their first meeting in March Madness.
This NCAA Tournament matchup has higher stakes but similar emotions.
Tennessee guards Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Mashack spent Thursday's news conference talking about just how much they despise the Wildcats. Kentucky guard Koby Brea, meanwhile, said he expects the second-seeded Volunteers to make some changes after his Wildcats beat them twice this season.
The two passionate Southeastern Conference fan bases wouldn't expect anything less.
'I'm big on rivalries. When I don't like a school, I don't like it and I want to do everything I can to make sure we win that game," Mashack said. 'I'm taking this as serious as I possibly can, and everybody knows, we want nothing more than to not just win but make a statement with a team like this.'
Especially with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line against one of college basketball's most successful programs.
The third-seeded Wildcats (24-11) hold records for the most March Madness games (187) and tournament bids (62). They also rank among the top five in tourney wins (132), Final Four appearances (17) and national championships (eight).
Another win over the Vols (29-7) would send Kentucky to its record 35th regional final in its first season under coach Mark Pope against either top-seeded Houston or fourth-seeded Purdue for the Midwest Region title Sunday in Indianapolis.
'They've been a really good defensive team, but I feel we've seen their defense a couple times this year, teams that do similar things. So we kind of just do what we do every game,' Brea said. 'I'm sure they'll probably try to change things up a little bit since the first two times didn't work out too well."
Kentucky has fallen short in recent trips to Indy. In 2022, the Wildcats lost in the first round to Saint Peter's, and Wisconsin ruined their perfect season in the 2015 national semifinals.
This time could be different.
Brea helped Kentucky make 12 of 24 3-pointers — twice — against Tennessee, which has the nation's third-best 3-point shooting defense (28.3%).
But if the Vols find a solution Friday, they'll achieve one more milestone — reaching a second straight Elite Eight by beating their nemesis.
'We know we're the best defense in the country. We didn't show that either time we played them," Zeigler said. 'Just being ourselves on defense, going out there, showing we're the No. 1 defense in the country and doing all the little things and everything then we'll be fine. I don't feel we did that in either game. We'll make sure to do better this time.'
Seems like old times
Pope feels at home in Indiana. He was a 1996 second-round draft pick of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and played parts of two seasons under coach Larry Bird and alongside Reggie Miller. Both teams reached the Eastern Conference finals.
Despite appearing in just 32 games with Indiana, Pope also met his wife, Lee Anne, in Indy.
'Come on, I'm the most blessed human being in the world that I got to be here on those great Indiana Pacers teams in this tremendous city, playing for Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle and the whole crew. I'll never forget it,' Pope said.
Memorable return
Houston guard L.J. Cryer played only three minutes as a freshman in the 2021 Final Four with national champion Baylor. That was the year the entire tourney was held in Indiana because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So he was familiar with the setup when Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, is transformed into a massive basketball arena.
'I think we got the same locker room as that year," Cryer said. "When I walked in there today, I kind of got the chills a little bit. A lot of good mojo for sure.'
Cryer left Baylor after three seasons and has been one of the top offensive weapons for Houston (32-4) over the past two years. He's averaging more than 15 points over 73 games.
Changing times
Purdue coach Matt Painter has relied primarily on player development and experienced rosters to make it to six Sweet 16s over the past eight tournaments.
That could be changing soon. Painter hinted the Boilermakers (24-11) could be more active in the transfer portal after this season.
'We've taken two people out of the portal in four years, probably the fewest amount in the country," said Painter, whose team was last year's national runner-up. 'It will be interesting to see where we go from here, though, because there's no doubt that we're going to use the portal. We're probably just not going to use it as much as everybody else.'
Still the one
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes tried to end any speculation about his retirement. The 70-year-old Barnes said he's not going anywhere next season.
'I think God will make it perfectly clear when he wants me to step down and my time will be up,' Barnes said. 'But it's not now. If it is, I don't feel that. But I love coaching basketball. I love being around it.'
Barnes is 231-108 in 10 seasons at Tennessee and 835-422 in 38 seasons as a head coach, including stints at George Mason, Providence, Clemson and Texas.
___
AP Sports Writer Eric Olson contributed to this report.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Michael Marot, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Will Panthers make lineup changes for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final? What Maurice said
The Florida Panthers are sticking with the status quo. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said pregame Friday that there will be no lineup changes for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers after Florida dropped the series opener 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. 'I'm not changing anything,' Maurice said. The only potential change that could have come would have been forward A.J. Greer drawing in on the fourth line, but he remains out with a lower-body injury that hobbled him during the Eastern Conference final. 'He's on track but he won't go tonight,' Maurice said, 'but we think if he tracks out, he could be available for Game 3.' That means Jesper Boqvist will stay on Florida's fourth line as the left winger with Tomas Nosek at center and Jonah Gadjovich at right wing. Boqvist played just 7:58 in Game 1 and took two shot attempts — one was blocked, the other missed the net — and had one hit. Through 12 playoff games, Boqvist has five points (two goals, three assists) with 38 hits and four blocked shots. Florida's lineup should look as follows for Game 2 on Friday... Forward lines Evan Rodrigues-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand Jesper Boqvist-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich Defense pairs Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky Vitek Vanecek Maurice reacts to DeBoer firing The Dallas Stars on Friday announced they fired coach Peter DeBoer, a little more than a week after his team lost to the Oilers in the Western Conference final — Dallas' third consecutive season losing in the series before the Stanley Cup Final. 'After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,' Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. 'We'd like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.' Maurice and DeBoer have a relationship going back nearly 40 years, since they were teammates at the junior hockey level in the mid-1980s. 'He'll be all right,' Maurice said. 'With elite teams, you have to push them real hard to where they get to and at some point, you get a summer off, new spot, he's going to be OK.' Nosek talks overtime penalty Nosek on Friday spoke for the first time since his delay of game penalty in the final minutes of overtime in Game 1 that led to the Oilers' eventual game-winning power-play goal by Leon Draisaitl. 'You don't want to be the one guy who costs us a game,' Nosek said Friday. 'Obviously, anybody can make a mistake. It happened in a bad time in overtime and cost us a game. It's in the past and now I'm looking forward to just keep doing my job and focusing on the next game.' Nosek said his teammates have been 'really helpful' with getting him to turn the page and prepare for Game 2. 'Most of the guys came to me and said 'Don't worry about it.'' As for what's key to turning the page after a costly mistake like that? 'I don't think there is one,' Nosek said. 'Everybody makes mistakes. It's a part of the game. It's sport. Just focusing on the same and preparing like any other game.'
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
A year from World Cup, US tries to right itself after Copa America and CONCACAF Nations League flops
One year from hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994, the U.S. team is struggling to right itself on the field and regain the confidence of a distressed fan base. Shaken by flops at the Copa America and the CONCACAF Nations League, the U.S. plays Turkey on Saturday at East Hartford, Connecticut, and Switzerland on Tuesday at Nashville, Tennessee. The team then heads to the CONCACAF Gold Cup, its last competitive matches until the Americans' World Cup opener on June 12 next year. 'There is a palpable and fair angst and maybe even worse apathy relative to this team given its recent failures,' former American defender and Fox Sports lead analyst Alexi Lalas said Friday. 'A year out from the World Cup, I don't think that many of us predicted that we would be in this frame of mind at this point in time.' After reaching the second round of the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. was eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America last summer, causing the U.S. Soccer Federation to replace coach Gregg Berhalter with Mauricio Pochettino. The Americans then lost to Panama and Canada at the CONCACAF Nations League final four in March. 'We've struggled. We've got beat down ... pegged back a stone, so to speak,' midfielder Tyler Adams, the 2022 World Cup captain, said Friday from the team's training camp in Chicago. 'We need to continue to prove that we are at this level and able to improve.' Among the missing are Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Antonee Robinson, Sergiño Dest, Yunus Musah, Folarin Balogun and Gio Reyna. Some are hurt, some want time off and some will be at the Club World Cup. Pochettino's roster includes seven players who could make national team debuts and 15 from Major League Soccer. The group averages 16 international appearances and will compete in a tournament where defending champion Mexico has many of its veterans. 'Good enough? I will let you know after,' Pochettino said. 'I think we have quality players and now, of course, we need to build a team, a team that fights for each other and show that we have the quality.' After this tournament, there will be just four more FIFA windows until players arrive for training ahead of the World Cup, and the team will play only non-competition games. 'I don't think there's any denying that some of our performances have fallen short over the past year to 18 months,' said 32-year-old defender Walker Zimmerman, a 2022 World Cup veteran. 'It's something that us as players we obviously aren't satisfied with and that's a big focal point for this camp.' Pochettino has selected 59 players since taking over in October. He turned over the roster after the team's dismal showing in March. 'We can lose, but there's a way to lose and I think that what we showed out on the pitch, to the fans, wasn't anywhere near good enough in terms of the mentality and intensity,' goalkeeper Matt Turner said. 'When you lose and then you have so long in between games, you know you obviously think a lot about what could have gone different and you analyze every aspect of environment, player selection and all that. But for us we know from player one to player 60 or however many are in this pool, the minimum standard is that we're going show up and we're going to be intense and we lacked that in Los Angeles.' Diego Luna, a 21-year-old midfielder, impressed Pochettino during his international debut against Costa Rica in January when his nose was broken by an early elbow and he insisted on staying in the game through the first half with cotton stuffed in his nose to absorb the blood. 'That experience for me was, I could say, life-changing,' Luna said. 'I think added an opportunity for me to come back into more camps and show the type of the grit and the hunger that I have to play and represent for my country. ... Mauricio really liked that about me and really liked the fight that I had and I think that shows other players that that's what's needed in this team and to fight through everything.' ___ AP soccer:
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Knicks' coaching search about to take serious Jason Kidd turn: NBA insider
The Knicks are considering a Hall of Fame name with organizational ties in their coaching search after the firing of Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks will 'formally ask for permission…in the coming days' to speak with current Mavericks coach Jason Kidd about their vacancy, according to a report Friday by longtime NBA writer Mark Stein on his Substack account. Kidd, who played the final season of his NBA career with the Knicks during their 54-win campaign under Mike Woodson in 2012-13, led the Mavericks to the NBA Finals one year ago. Kidd's first year at the helm with the Mavs also marked the final season for Jalen Brunson in Dallas, and they developed a strong relationship before Brunson became a two-time All-Star point guard after signing with the Knicks as a free agent in 2022. The Mavs missed the playoffs after trading superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Lakers in February, but they landed the No. 1 overall pick — expected to be Duke's Cooper Flagg — in the lottery last month. 4 Jason Kidd during a 2025 press conference. NBAE via Getty Images Kidd began his head-coaching career with the Nets upon retirement as a player in 2013-14, but the former point guard spent only one season in Brooklyn before moving to the Bucks the following year. The Nets recouped two second-round draft picks as compensation. 4 Jason Kidd and Jalen Brunson (l) during a 2021 game. Getty Images The Celtics also received an unprotected first-round pick as compensation from the Clippers to facilitate Doc Rivers switching teams in 2013. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks' stunning firing of head coach Tom Thibodeau The now 52-year-old Kidd spent three-plus seasons coaching Giannis Antetokounmpo early in the two-time MVP's career in Milwaukee, compiling a 139-152 record before getting fired 45 games into the 2017-18 season. 4 Kidd and Brunson in 2024. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post Following two years as an assistant coach with the Lakers, he was hired in Dallas in 2021 to replace Rick Carlisle, who has fronted the Pacers to the Finals this spring. Kidd's career winning percentage as a head coach is .516 (362-339) plus a 31-33 mark in postseason play. Kidd signed a two-year contract extension through 2026-27 in Dallas in May of last year during the Mavs' run to the Finals, amid reports that the Lakers wanted to interview him to replace Darvin Ham. Kidd also had been considered by the Knicks and was reported to be the runner-up when the Knicks tabbed Thibodeau as their head coach in 2020. ESPN insider Tim McMahon reported earlier this week that Kidd's 'ears would perk up' if the Knicks expressed interest in him, adding 'I would not dismiss that possibility.' Team president Leon Rose axed Thibodeau after four trips to the playoffs in five seasons after the Knicks lost to Indiana last week in the Eastern Conference finals. 4 Jason Kidd during his time with the Knicks in 2013. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post Other names linked to the Knicks' opening include former associate coach Johnnie Bryant, who spent last season on Kenny Atkinson's staff with the Cavaliers. Stein also reported that any potential overtures by the Knicks seeking permission to speak with Houston head coach Ime Udoka 'would be swiftly rebuffed' by the Rockets.
