LEXINGTON, Ky. _ If Kentucky players needed a reminder that the game with archrival Louisville comes next, it came repeatedly at a team dinner at a Lexington restaurant Thursday night.
"Everybody who was in there was, like, win Saturday, win Saturday, win Saturday," Nate Sestina said Friday. "Obviously, it's a big deal for everybody here. And it's a big deal for us, too."
But not too big a deal.
That was among the messages UK conveyed in previewing an annual rivalry game that always bursts with sporting importance, all the more so given Louisville is ranked No. 3 in the nation and Kentucky is coming off a losing streak in Las Vegas.
"The good news for us, (as) I keep saying, it's December," UK coach John Calipari said. "It's not make-or-break. I know people want (that) this is it. It isn't. It's December. But it's just the next game for us.
"And I say this every year: You win, then it's a huge game."
After last week's losses to Utah and Ohio State, Kentucky is still in the learning portion of the season. Players say they need to become more familiar with each other. Calipari talks about experimenting with different approaches.
"We're still trying to figure it out," Calipari said. "I'm trying to get guys to figure it out."
For example, Calipari cited the stumbles down the stretch against Ohio State. After Tyrese Maxey hit a floater with 5:05 left, UK did not score another basket until less than a minute remained.
Calipari reminded reporters that it wasn't the first time that a lack of execution in the final minutes of a possession-by-possession competition cost Kentucky.
The UK coach lauded the competitive spirit his players showed against Ohio State.
"Then in the last five minutes, we wouldn't pass to each other," he said. "Refused to pass to the open man. The games we've lost, it's by a couple buckets."
Kentucky's three losses have been by a combined margin of 12 points.
"I know it's devastation and it's the worst," Calipari said facetiously about the losses to Evansville, Utah and Ohio State. "We're literally a couple buckets (from winning) all the games. We could be 11-0."
As Calipari saw it, Kentucky competed with satisfactory intensity for 32 minutes against Ohio State.
"That's not going to be enough against this team," he said of Louisville. "I mean, this is a really good basketball team. Chris (Mack) has done a great job with his team, a veteran team. They run their stuff. I tell you, what they really do is defend. They really guard and give you tough looks. And you've had teams scoring 40 against them."
Michigan (43), Pittsburgh (46) and Miami (Ohio) (46) are those teams. Louisville ranks No. 15 nationally in opponents' scoring average (58.4 ppg).
"So, it'll be a hard game," Calipari said. "I don't care where it's played."
Sestina downplayed the assumption that coming off two straight losses put added pressure on Kentucky to beat Louisville.
"We're all competitors," he said. "So, it's more of a competitive thing than it is a pressure thing. Guys just want to win. That's why we came here. This school speaks for itself. Guys that come here kind of speak for themselves as well. They're all winners and that's really what they want to do."
Calipari did not accept the suggestion that Kentucky might need an NCAA Tournament resume'-building victory.
"Michigan State was big," he said of UK's opening-game victory over the then-No. 1 team. "It built our confidence. It made us go ...
"But it's kind of forgotten. Well, you say, 'They're not that good.' Well, we'll see where they are at the end of the year."
As a graduate transfer, Sestina has plenty of experience with rivalry games. Bucknell had rivalries with Lehigh and Colgate, he said.
"Compared to this game, it's way more people," he said of UK-U of L. "It's in-state, which was kind of what we had with Lehigh. Whether it was Lehigh or Bucknell, the game was always packed.
"But I think this is a little bit different, a bigger stage. Just more people. More energy in the gym between both sets of fans."
This brought to mind UK associate coach Kenny Payne, who, of course, played for Louisville.
"He's a guy just very quiet and to himself," Sestina said. "But he'll tell you personally what you need to do before each game. He tells me, 'You got to play like you're a senior. This is not your first rodeo.'"
That experience moves Sestina to take a long view.
"It's December, not March," he said. "We're going to have little mistakes. I think we'll be fine moving forward."
