NCAAB Game Preview - Southern Illinois at Kentucky
Fri Nov 9, 2018 7:00 PM EST

SIU
59
KY
71
F
UL
65
Tenn
87
F
Pacif
61
Nev
83
F
UNC
116
Elon
67
F
Wash
66
Aub
88
F
KennSt
41
KSU
56
F
Buff
99
WVU
94
F(OT)
E WA
47
Oreg
81
F
GWebb
59
VaTec
87
F
APSU
67
MissSt
95
F
LongB
80
UCLA
91
F
NCC
51
Clem
71
F
UNCG
91
LSU
97
F
Drex
62
E MI
66
F
(N/A)
70
MTSU
102
F
(N/A)
58
NebOm
94
F
(N/A)
75
CSBak
111
F
IndSt
78
WIGB
74
F
WichSt
83
Prov
80
F
BGSU
80
StJon
84
F
Detr
67
Temp
83
F
Stan
72
UNCW
59
F
Morg
62
StFPA
80
F
FaDi
55
Rut
90
F
VMI
55
Pitt
94
F
Toled
87
Oakl
86
F
Piedm
52
Mercer
105
F
UNH
75
UMass
104
F
NE
81
Harv
71
F
Dart
76
David
79
F
Monm
74
Colg
87
F
Vermt
78
Boston
72
F
Ark
71
Tex
73
F(OT)
NoKY
88
NIU
85
F(2OT)
Mizzu
59
IaSt
76
F
Hamp
57
VCU
69
F
Stony
83
SouthCar
81
F
Longw
63
Rich
58
F
(N/A)
51
Princ
85
F
Leh
62
Mia-FL
83
F
Amer
78
GMas
75
F(OT)
ChaSo
46
Fla
76
F
ChiSt
60
CenMI
101
F
NFla
72
PSU
87
F
CoCar
85
Campbl
75
F
JSU
72
Samf
92
F
ODU
64
StJos
79
F
Brown
81
LIU
83
F
Lamar
69
GaTec
88
F
JWFL
47
FIU
117
F
MtStM
61
Hof
79
F
WlmCry
57
SeLA
78
F
(N/A)
49
InWor
63
F
NJIT
74
Bingha
57
F
(N/A)
83
TXAMC
113
F
AF
57
TxSt
67
F
RobM
60
MOSt
74
F
(N/A)
62
ORU
79
F
MTSt
35
Ind
80
F
(N/A)
55
Alc
79
F
Furm
60
LoyIL
58
F
Rice
76
Penn
92
F
JMU
73
ECU
72
F
Albany
68
Iona
72
F
Okla
91
UTRGV
76
F
JarCh
68
Gram
105
F
Savan
76
UGA
110
F
MD
78
Navy
57
F
McNee
52
AzSt
80
F
UTEP
69
NMSt
96
F
Hartfo
73
UtSt
100
F
(N/A)
56
N CO
126
F
GASt
74
Mont
81
F
MsVl
52
TxTch
84
F
IL-C
78
Radf
88
F
ArkSt
73
AbCh
94
F
(N/A)
53
Web
123
F
UCIrv
74
TAMU
73
F
SDCh
71
CBU
87
F
PVAM
81
SCla
64
F
USD
76
UCDav
57
F
UtVal
65
BYU
75
F
(N/A)
52
Sac
76
F
(N/A)
48
N TX
93
F
Yale
76
Cal
59
F
Portl
64
HI
82
F
No. 2 Kentucky expected to bounce back against Southern Illinois
Thu Nov 8, 2018 9:37 PM

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- When Southern Illinois coach Barry Hinson set about preparing his team to face No. 2 Kentucky on Friday night, he skipped the gymnasium and headed straight to a home improvement store.

"We may be the only college basketball team that's going through the landscaping aisle at Lowe's to help us be a better team," Hinson said. "But you do what you can."

The coach, who has spent weeks preparing SIU to combat Kentucky's front line that goes 6-11, 6-10, 6-8 and 6-8, purchased a giant leaf rake.

"We're not going to face anybody like Kentucky in our league or for the rest of the entire season. We might see one guy, but we won't see multiple lines like that," Hinson said. "So I brought the biggest rake I could buy at Lowe's.

"It's the best way for us to simulate it because we don't have those guys," Hinson said. "It's been one and a half feet above our rim for the last seven weeks so hopefully it will help us prepare for this."

Hinson may be exaggerating the dilemma a bit -- 6-10 Kavion Pippen, Scottie's nephew, is one of five starters returning and three reserves are either 6-8 or 6-9 -- but it is a fun approach to a monumental task.

It's the season opener for Southern Illinois while Kentucky is 0-1 after being demolished on national television 118-84 by Duke in the Champions Classic on Tuesday.

Hinson fears SIU is about to bear the brunt of that loss.

"When we run out on the floor Friday night in front of 23,500 people, I promise you the guys in the white jerseys will be ready to go. I know that for a fact," Hinson said. "I've known Coach John Calipari since 1985 and I can tell you I know exactly what's happening in that locker room and what's going to happen on the practice floor. We know we're going to have to hit the wave right off the bat and we're going to have to withstand that push."

Calipari can only hope his Kentucky club responds that way after the beatdown in Indianapolis.

"Duke played with a chip," Calipari said Thursday. "They were gonna show us they were better and each individual player was gonna show our players they were better. And maybe their coach was showing me he was better. But they all had a chip on their shoulder. That's us. My whole career that's what it's been about. Did we get arrogant, all of us, me included? I don't know. We're gonna find out."

Kentucky has a balanced and deep roster. Graduate transfer Reid Travis, who scored 22 against Duke, is joined by sophomores PJ Washington, Nick Richards and Quade Green and freshmen Keldon Johnson, Tyler Herro, EJ Montgomery, Ashton Hagans and Immanuel Quickley.

"We gotta get five guys who will fight like heck and leave them in and play them as long as they can play," Calipari said. "Find those five who will fight together and play together and leave them in and then the rest of you will sub in when they need a break."

Southern Illinois returns five starters from a 20-win team, including leading scorers Armon Flether, 14.1 points; Sean Lloyd, 12.1; Pippen, 12.1; and Aaron Cook, 9.8. SIU also gets 6-8 Thik Bol back after missing last season to injury.

"We're playing an opponent, Southern Illinois, that brings back their four leading scorers," Calipari said. "They've got inside players that can really play. They shoot the ball well. A team that can beat us if we don't play harder than they play. If we lose, we move on to the next game."

"Our game plan is pretty simple for us," Hinson said. "We've got to go in there and just do what we've worked on execute that as best as possible. We're going in there to play the all-time winningest program in college basketball and I'm trying to keep this game as simple as I can with our players. I'm trying to keep the least amount of pressure off these guys as I can. The worst thing we can do sometimes as coaches is to add to the heap. There is enough build-up with this thing as there is."

Team Record Comparison

Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
Southern Illinois  
Kentucky  

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