What Kentucky Head Coach Kenny Brooks Said About West Virginia

Following a fairly easy first-round win over James Madison in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Kentucky Wildcats will now get their shot at the host team, West Virginia, for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen on the line.

On Sunday, Kentucky head coach Kenny Brooks talked about his matchup with WVU, and I transcribed everything he had to say about the Mountaineers, which you can find below.

How unique WVU’s defense is

“Yeah, you’re going to play a 2-2-1 or a full-court man or a 1-2-2, that’s what everybody runs. But it’s just the attitude of it. Some people will do it occasionally, some people try to throw it on you. They’re very consistent with what they’re trying to do throughout the whole basketball game. We have played teams that have pressed us the majority of the time. It’s something that you have to be ready for. I watched the game yesterday, and Miami had 15 turnovers, but it felt like 35 turnovers. The turnovers were loud, and they make you take quick shots sometimes. We can’t let one turnover turn into two turnovers, and we can’t let two turnovers turn into three turnovers, and then it turns into a bad shot. They do a very good job with it. They’re very good at the pressing part of it and understanding where they’re going to be. It’ll be one of the better presses we’ve played this year.”

Stressing ball security, especially on the road

“We have to make sure that the turnovers don’t lead to points and that they are live ball. As I mentioned, you can’t let one turnover turns into two and turns into another bad shot. You also have to attack it and be smart about it. You don’t just want to pull the ball back out all the time. There’s a lot to it, and that’s why it’s so disruptive.”

What makes it hard to prepare for Jordan Harrison, Gia Cooke, and Sydney Shaw

“I don’t know what adjective I can pick. They’re just relentless. Their tenacity is unbelievable. They just keep going. I just wonder sometimes do they have an extra battery pack in the back? Because they just keep going. And they play very well off of each other. They know how to funnel somebody to a certain area, and they look to attack. They understand the system exceptionally well. They play hard, and they play as hard as anyone we’ve seen all year.”

Preparing for the massive crowd and the noise

“The crowd is going to be a big part of it. We know that. The kids alluded to it… We played at LSU, and it was 13,000, and we came away with a win. We played at Louisville, and it was 10,000-11,000, and we came away with a win. We’ve been in environments before, and this environment is fun. It’s electric. It was loud. I told them yesterday it was 13,000, and not one of them can come on the court, and we just have to really pay attention to what’s on the court.”

His memories of playing and coaching against WVU

“You want to know one of the biggest memories I have about West Virginia, and it does not matter how many times you’ve experienced it, it always catches you off guard, is that damn gun going off. I’m so glad this is a ‘neutral’ floor, and they can’t do those things, and they can’t sing the songs to kind of get everyone riled up in here.”