'Cats Smith hints at lineup changes against No. 5 Florida

LEXINGTON - With his team in danger of falling out of the race for a Southeastern Conference title, Kentucky coach Tubby Smith hinted at wholesale lineup changes for Tuesday&#39;s game at No. 5 Florida. <br> <br> ``You shouldn&#39;t assume anything,&#39;&#39; Smith responded Monday when asked if All-American forward Tayshaun Prince and junior guard Keith Bogans - the heart and soul of last year&#39;s team - would start against the Gators. <br> <br> Tenth-ranked Kentucky (13-5, 3-3) had won four straight before Saturday&#39; disappointing 64-61 home loss to then-No. 14 Alabama - the Crimson Tide&#39;s first victory in Lexington since 1989. <br> <br> As has been the pattern in earlier losses to Duke, Mississippi State and Georgia, the Wildcats held a narrow lead late against Alabama but could not make clutch plays down the stretch to put the game away. <br> <br> Poor shooting didn&#39;t help matters, either. Kentucky shot 39 percent overall and only 23 percent from 3-point range -its worst performance since a 64-52 season-opening loss to Western Kentucky. <br> <br> The starters never could find their range against the Crimson Tide, making just 12-of-41 shots. <br> <br> Prince and Bogans, who both considered entering last year&#39;s NBA draft, combined to hit only 7-of-25 overall and 2-of-14 on 3-point attempts. <br> <br> Smith implied that the changes would help him make a point to certain players who have been struggling both on and off the court. <br> <br> &#39;&#39;(Forwards) Chuck Hayes and Erik Daniels have shown they are eager and are giving us the energy that we need ... so has (center) Marquis (Estill),&#39;&#39; he said. ``Let&#39;s just say those three would probably start. I don&#39;t want to say who might sit.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> That could leave several regulars on the bench come tipoff, including Bogans, who has been in a season-long shooting slump; 6-11 junior Jules Camara; and possibly sophomore guard Gerald Fitch. <br> <br> Fitch said he didn&#39;t expect to start Tuesday, not because of his play on the floor but because he was 10 minutes late to a film session Sunday morning. <br> <br> ``I knew what I was in for, especially after a tough loss,&#39;&#39; said Fitch, who practiced with the second team on Sunday. ``But it&#39;s something I&#39;ve got to deal with and move on. I don&#39;t know how anyone else will react.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Hayes, Daniels and freshman sharpshooter Rashaad Carruth all said they spent time practicing with the first team Sunday. Prince and Bogans were not available for comment before Monday&#39;s practice. <br> <br> Hayes, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound freshman whom Smith has called the team&#39;s toughest post player, said he&#39;ll be ready if called on to start against the Gators, the SEC&#39;s highest-scoring team at 86.7 points per game. <br> <br> ``There will be some pressure playing a big game in a hostile environment, but I welcome the challenge,&#39;&#39; said Hayes, who has averaged 4.6 points and 3.5 rebounds in just about 11 minutes over Kentucky&#39;s last six games. <br> <br> ``This is a conference game against a highly ranked team that we have to win to achieve our goals. It&#39;s do-or-die, basically a game that separates the champs from the chumps.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Kentucky will have to be at its best against Florida (15-3, 4-2), an athletic team that likes to press, run and put points on the board. <br> <br> Udonis Haslem (16.3 points, 9.4 rebounds), Brett Nelson (16.1 points) and Matt Bonner (15.9) all rank among the SEC&#39;s leaders in scoring, combining for more than 48 points and nearly 20 rebounds a game. <br> <br> ``It&#39;s going to be a good matchup between a very good defensive team and the highest-scoring team in the league,&#39;&#39; Smith said. ``But we&#39;re second in the league in scoring, so it&#39;s not like we can&#39;t score.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Florida is looking to find its rhythm as well after suffering consecutive losses for the first time since last January. The Gators haven&#39;t lost three straight games since 1998, when they lost their last five to end the season. <br> <br> ``This is a big, big game for us against a team that has been ranked all season long,&#39;&#39; said Donovan, whose squad fell to Georgia at home on Jan. 20 and in overtime at Arkansas on Saturday. ``It&#39;s a long season and there&#39;s a lot of bumps in the road for every team in this league.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Despite the predicted shakeup, Smith said he expects his team to bounce back strong like it did last year in winning nine of its last 11 regular-season games after back-to-back midseason conference losses. <br> <br> ``We were expecting to be undefeated, to be honest with you,&#39;&#39; he said. ``That&#39;s the way we approached the season, but obviously that&#39;s not the case. <br> <br> ``We kind of put ourselves in a tough situation now where we&#39;re going to have to play a lot better than we&#39;ve been playing in order to have a chance to win the SEC. But we still have that possibility. There&#39;s still hope.&#34;