Devin Askew (SEC Photo)
Forgive Mike Brey for not feeling sorry for Kentucky’s 1-3 start.
“I look at the NBA Draft projections, and two of those (Kentucky) starters are in the top 10,” the Notre Dame coach said about Kentucky’s lineup. “I believe (Olivier) Sarr will be a first-round pick. So, it’s not like they’re hurting for talent.”
Brey and the Irish play at Rupp Arena Saturday when coach John Calipari’s team tries to end a three-game losing skid. The Cats are off to UK’s worst start since the 2000-01 season. It’s also just the fifth time since 1927 that Kentucky has started a season 1-3.
Kentucky has only had one coach lost four straight games to start a season. The Cats opened 1-4 in 1984-85 under coach Joe Hall before finishing 18-13.
“I understand backs against the wall,” Brey said Thursday during a Zoom conference to preview Saturday’s game. “I said (to my team), ‘Hey, fellas, we’re 1-2. Are our backs against the wall a little bit, too?'”
Kentucky’s fall out of the top 25 has included double-digit losses to two unranked, non-conference teams — something that has never happened to Calipari when his team was ranked.
Notre Dame has the same type veteran team that Richmond, Kansas and Georgia Tech all had. It also has a proven point guard in Prentiss Hubb. He had 26 points on 5-for-9 3-point shooting Tuesday in a loss to Ohio State. Brey said everything starts with Huge.
The Notre Dame coach called Hubb his “Mahomes” — a comparison to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who led his team to a Super Bowl win last season.
“I’ve been so impressed with how he runs our group,” Brey said. “He gives us a toughness and a belief. And it’s been exciting to see him getting older and stronger since the freshman Prentiss Hubb.”
Toughness is one of the attributes UK Coach John Calipari has stressed his team needs to further develop. He’s also talked about the immediate need for his team to reduce turnovers.
Freshman point guard Devin Askew has struggled through four games with his ball handling and decision making. He said before the season started he would “just stay level-headed” to negate the peaks and valleys of his first college season.
“Not getting too up, not getting too down.The peaks and valleys, there are always highs, there are always lows. Just trying to stay on a straight line and keep a steady pace. Not go up, not go down,” Askew said then.
Former NBA player Darren Collison, one of Askew’s trainers in California, gave him the same advice.
“He’s just one of those who always preached that to me. ‘Stay level. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low, because there will be bumps in the road and there will be highs.'” Askew said.
So far it has been bumpy for the Cats and Askew, something they hope to change Saturday against Notre Dame.
