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SEC Tournament
Cats like top seed status
By Keith Taylor
March 11, 2010

Eric Bledsoe doesn’t think things will change when Kentucky competes in the Southeastern Conference Tournament this weekend.

“We’re going to come out and just play because if we worry about it too much, it will probably start to affect us,” Bledsoe said earlier this week.

The second-ranked Wildcats (29-2) won the league title during the regular season and drew a first-round bye. Kentucky will take on the winner of today’s South Carolina-Alabama contest at 1 p.m. Friday in Nashville.

Bledsoe is excited about his team’s chances in the tournament and doesn’t mind other teams in the league labeling the Cats as the team to beat and shoot for during the four-day event.

“I feel good because we’re the No. 1 seed and everyone is trying to beat us,” he said. “We’re going to come into the tournament playing the way we know how to play. I know a lot of our fans will be there, so it will feel a lot like playing at home.”

Kentucky coach John Calipari has expressed the importance of making a good showing in the tourney and playing for one of top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament this week. In order to achieve the goal of a top seed, Calipari also wants his team to have an enjoyable time on and off the court.

“Coach (Calipari) told us to have fun playing the game and to not let the emotions of the game affect us,” he said. “When we start having fun, we handle the game and start knocking down shots. Our defense is a key as well, so if we can have fun, we’ll do more damage.”

Bledsoe has enjoyed success on the court in his first season with the Wildcats. The Kentucky freshman guard was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Teammates John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins also were honored. Wall was named Player of the Year and Cousins the top freshman in voting conducted by the league’s coaches.

Bledsoe was pleased with the honor and praised Calipari for his development on the court.

“It feels good because coach (Calipari) has put in a lot of work on me as a player,” he said. “It means a lot for the program, so I’m excited.”

Like Bledsoe, Cousins is looking forward to entering the postseason. The Kentucky center said the key is “playing a whole game” in both the league tourney and the Big Dance.

“If we play a whole game, there’s no telling how good we can be,” he said. “Cal said that holding it together needs to be our focus and I think that was directed at me. I believe I’m getting better at it, but I think game situations are getting worse.”

Kentucky junior Patrick Patterson said making a good showing in Nashville will be a plus for the Wildcats heading into “Selection Sunday.”

“It’s very important,” he said. “Cal says we need two, but we want to win three. We want to win the championship and have that as an accomplishment under our belts that we can look back on and say, ‘We did that.’”

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