Kentucky prepares for Indiana by babying basketballs

Posted 8:00PM on Friday 8th December 2006 ( 18 years ago )

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Ramel Bradley cradled his basketball like a baby. Joe Crawford held onto his with both hands. And more basketballs rested on each of Bobby Perry's knees. Is this basketball practice or basketball daycare for the Kentucky players? Both, says coach Tubby Smith, rather dismayed by the growing trend of 20-plus turnover games the most recent Tuesday against Chattanooga. Smith figures his players aren't taking care of the basketball well enough on the court, so he's making them take care of it off of it as in everywhere they go. ``I remember playing football, that was one of the things coach made you do walk around with a football,'' Smith said. ``I never really did it with basketball players, but we're starting to get their attention with it.'' Bradley, a point guard who has been working to reduce his own turnovers, says the message is getting through. ``From the gym, to the room, you sleep with it,'' Bradley said of his pet basketball. ``When you come to the gym, you bring it back to the gym. If you don't bring it do the gym, you don't have no balls to practice with.'' And that's not the only thing Smith is doing to hammer home the point. In Kentucky's last practice, the team was allotted only three balls for the entire session. One was taken out of play after each turnover and, when none were left, the players were forced to sprint the rest of the time. ``It really teaches us to treasure each possession, make crisp passes,'' Perry said. Taking care of the basketball will be critical if Kentucky hopes Saturday to avenge the 26-point loss at the hands of Indiana a year ago. That loss started a downward spiral toward mediocrity for Kentucky. But the players are quick to point out that was a different place in Bloomington rather than Lexington, the site of Saturday's game. And it came at a different time a time before Randolph Morris was cleared by the NCAA to play. Morris said the Wildcats ``were exposed'' during that game, and a little payback is on their mind. He personally will have a tough test against Indiana forward D.J. White, who has proven a presence at scoring, rebounding and blocking shots. Crawford said things should be a little different with Kentucky's big man in the mix. ``We didn't put up much of a fight,'' Crawford said. ``We didn't show how bad we wanted it. We want to go out there and do what they did to us last year, but the most important thing is just winning the game.'' Although last year may still be on the minds of some Kentucky players, Smith points out circumstances have changed. The Hoosiers now have a new coach Oklahoma convert Kelvin Sampson. ``Last year's game was last year's game,'' Smith said. ``There's a new coach, new regime there.'' With both teams unranked, this game could again be pivotal for the two proud but struggling programs. Kentucky has played three upper-echelon foes this year UCLA, Memphis and North Carolina but lost them all. Although Kentucky and Indiana are no strangers to each other, it's the first time in 17 years the two will meet at Rupp Arena. Louisville's Freedom Hall has hosted Kentucky's more recent home games against the Hoosiers. Regardless of the circumstances, Sampson says Kentucky-Indiana is one of the better rivalries in the sport but he's not putting too much stock in the outcome, good or bad. ``You like coaching in those games, you like playing in those games,'' Sampson said. ``That is what makes this profession unique, but when you look up, you know you have 20 or 22 games left to play, so you learn to keep it in perspective.''

http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/12/99201