UK Basketball: Kentucky players talk Big Blue Madness, teammates, upcoming season

What do you expect from Big Blue Madness?
Anthony Davis: “I think it will be crazy. There will be family, friends there and the first time stepping on Rupp (Arena), I expect to be nervous. But I¿am going out there to have fun. I¿am not sure what I¿will do (during introductions). I am just going to freestyle whatever comes to mind. But I¿know it will be crazy.”
Sam Malone: “I am really excited, but I am a little bit nervous. I have never been to Rupp before, so I am really excited. It’s things like Big Blue Madness that I wanted to come here for.”
Brian Long: “I was there last year, it was really cool. That was a first and tomorrow night will be a first, too, since I’ll get to be out on the court. I’m looking forward to it since I’ve never played in any situation like that. I really liked the introductions.They were pretty special and really cool for each player. I’m hearing that a couple of guys have something up their sleeves. I guess we’ll just have to see it tomorrow night.”
Kyle Wiltjer: “It’s really exciting. This is what we’ve been looking forward to and what we’ve been working for. There’s all this hype and it’s really exciting for us because we’ve been working really hard and we’re excited for practice to start.”

What have you told UK’s freshmen about Big Blue Madness since he experienced it last season?
Doron Lamb: “I just told the freshmen to go out there, have fun, and don’t be scared. I told them that whatever you do they are going to like you anyways, so just have fun.”

Who is going to take over Josh Harrellson’s role as the team comedian this year?
Jarrod Polson: “We have a lot of comedians this year. I don’t even know who would take number one. Anthony Davis is pretty funny and so is Kyle (Wiltjer). Maybe one of them.”

What is it like to receive so much attention from fans?
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: “It is hitting me right now because I have never had all of this attention before. All the lights around here are bright, and I have to adjust. I am not used to it at all. I think I am adjusting well. It is not my personality. I’m just a quiet person at times, and I have to be able to adjust.”

How talented is this team?
Stacey Poole: “The talent is crazy. In high school you would rarely have that many good players around you but here the whole team is good. There is a lot of talent on this team and I think we’ll be pretty good this year.”

How good will the talent be when Kentucky hosts North Carolina Dec. 3 in a rematch of last year’s Elite Eight game?
John Calipari: “It's going to be a good ballgame. Plus we beat them last year, they have everybody back, they have added shooting. They have added their point guard now, but we played them early in the last year, they were a different team. When we played them later, they were a much better team. But then again, so were we, so it ended up being a good game."