Courtside with the Kentucky Wildcats

Wake Forest player L.D. Williams accepted the underdog role in Saturday’s NCAA Tournament second-round game against Kentucky.

“I mean, it is what it is,” he said. “You’ve got to call a spade a spade. They’re the one-seed. We’re the eight-seed. I don’t know. I don’t see any differences in when we play higher-seede eteams.

“Obviously, we’ve had our shortcomings, but when the lights are on, I feel like for the most part we’ve arrived to the challenge.”

In response to a reporter’s question, Kentucky Coach John Calipari said he’s a better coach than when he guided Massachusetts to the 1996 Final Four.

“Hopefully, I’m more experienced,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ve mellowed. . . . I’m much grayer, I’m going to tell you that.”

Calipari noted the difference that experience can make.

“The longer you’re in it, there is not a whole lot that you’re going to see that you haven’t seen somewhere,” he said. “But I tell you, the reason we had success at UMass, we had terrific players. The reason we had success at Memphis, we had terrific players. The reason we’re having success here, it’s not because they hired me. It’s because (of) this group of players.”

Wake Forest outrebounded Texas 59-34 in Thursday’s first-round game. Kentucky Coach John Calipari noticed.

“They’ve got size,” he said. “They’re big. You know, I just watched tape and you get sick to your stomach. I hate watching too much tape because you, like, start, like, oh my gosh, how are we going to stay on the court with these guys?”

Even factoring in coaching exaggeration, Wake Forest does use three players 6-foot-11 or taller in its rotation, plus forward Al-Farquoq Aminu is a two-time All-ACC player who led the league in rebounding.

Calipari noted the importance of rebounding in Saturday’s second-round game.

“They outrebounded Texas by 25,” he said. “Think about that: 25 rebound. They got 20 offensive rebounds against Texas, who prides itself in that toughness and that rebounding. That’s the one thing you’re not going to beat them with, and they did.”

Kentucky Coach John Calipari compared Wake Forest point guard Ishmael Smith to South Carolina guard Devan Downey.

“He’s (the) Devan Downey that beat us at South Carolina,” Calipari said.

Smith’s buzzer-beater enabled Wake Forest to beat Texas in overtime in Thursday’s first round. That’s at least the fourth game-winning shot he’s made in his college career.

Texas Coach Rick Barnes referred to Smith as a “one-man fastbreak.” Smith’s speed led the media to debate on Friday whether Smith or Wall was the fastest point guard in college basketball.

“John Wall. Derrick Rose. He’s fast,” Calipari said of Smith. “Seems like a great kid and a good player and scorer, and gets his teammates involved and brings it the whole game.”

Sam Houston State, a team that rode hot shooting to a near upset of Kentucky in November, shot poorly and lost its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament Thursday.
Sam Houston State lost to Baylor 68-59. The Bearkats made only 33.8 percent of their shots (19.4 percent of attempts from beyond the three-point arc).
Guards Corey Allmond and Ashton Mitchell, the heart of the team, combined to make only five of 25 shots overall and three of 18 three-pointers.
Against UK, Sam Houston State made 18 of 38 three-point attempts. Almond set a Rupp Arena record by making 11 three-point shots. He made two of seven three-point shots against Baylor.

Kentucky Coach John Calipari has been named one of four finalists for the 2010 Naismith Men’s College Coach of the Year award.
Other finalists are Steve Alford of New Mexico, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Frank Martin of Kansas State.
The finalists were decided in a vote by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s National Voting Academy, comprised of basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from around the country.
Calipari is one of only two coaches who have won the award more than once. He won it in 1996 while coaching at UMass and 2008 while coaching at Memphis.
The only other multiple winner is Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who won the award in 1989, 1992 and 1999.
This year’s winner will be announced in April.

Having waited three years for this opportunity, Patrick Patterson became extra careful as he prepared for Kentucky’s opening game in the NCAA Tournament.
Patterson said he was walking everywhere he wanted to go in order to avoid driving and/or a car accident.
When asked about being able to sleep Wednesday night, Patterson said he brought sleeping pills and the cold/flu medicine Nyquil to ensure a good night’s sleep.

UK big man DeMarcus Cousins kept a poker face when asked about President Obama picking Kansas to beat Kentucky in the national championship game.
“People have their own thoughts,” Cousins said.
However, a reporter asking Cousins to predict how Obama will do in a re-election bid in 2012 brought a smile to Cousins’ face.
But he refused to make a prediction on the election.
In unveiling his presidential brackets on ESPN, Obama made a reference to his call to Kentucky’s team earlier this season. He told John Calipari that Kentucky could have no problem in the game that night at South Carolina. Of course, the Cats lost.
Obama called Kentucky to thank the Wildcats for their fund-raising efforts for Haiti earthquake relief
“They lost to the Gamecocks and I think that was a good lesson for them . . . ,” Obama told ESPN’s Andy Katz. “And I think … (Kentucky coach John) Calipari will have them ready.”

Baylor was among the finalists for John Wall during the recruiting process last spring.
With Baylor at the same first- and second-round site as Kentucky, this led a reporter to ask Baylor Coach Scott Drew if he was surprised by Wall’s success.
“He’s definitely had a tremendous year,” Drew said. “Any time you’re being considered as (among the) top two players for Player of the Year, it says you’re doing something all right.
“But there is no doubt in our mind when we were recruiting him he was going to be a successful player from the standpoint a lot of people have talent, but he had the mental makeup necessary to be successful, as well. Extremely driven. Very competitive. Very serious about the game. He plays so hard.”

In sharing his presidential bracket with ESPN, Barack Obama picked Kentucky to advance to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
His other Final Four picks were Kansas, Kansas State and Villanova.
Of course, Obama also picked Kentucky to win easily at South Carolina, too.
ESPN will air Obama’s picks on its SportsCenter show Wednesday at noon EDT. His picks for the women’s NCAA Tournament will air Friday at 9 a.m. on ESPN