Louisville

NEW ORLEANS - Louisville sophomore center Gorgui Dieng knows his matchup with Kentucky center Anthony Davis could be critical to who wins Saturday's Final Four matchup. Yet he insists even if Davis has a good game,¿Louisville could still win. “It isn't about me. It's about the team first,” said Dieng. “This game is not going to be easy. This game is very important at every position. It's not about me and Anthony Davis. It's about everybody. He is a great basketball player.

LEXINGTON - Peyton Siva showed how to dominate a game without scoring in the first 20 minutes Thursday. The Louisville point guard did not got his first bucket until there were 2 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first half. But by that time, he had already collected five assists, had three steals and helped the Cardinals force 14 turnovers and take a 16-point halftime lead. He finished with six points, eight assists and four steals in 26 minutes as the top-seeded Cardinals rolled over North Carolina A&T 79-48 in their NCAA Midwest Regional opener at Rupp Arena.

Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein struggled to explain exactly how he felt after Kentucky lost to Louisville for the first time in four years Saturday. “The expectations here are so high. You are not supposed to lose to Louisville ... it's just depressing to know that we have to live what that the rest of the year. If we had just made free throws, we would have won,” said Cauley-Stein after the 80-77 loss at No. 4 Louisville. Cauley-Stein was 0-for-4 from the foul line - he actually went 0-for-6 as twice Louisville was called for lane violations on his misses and he missed the extra attempts both times.

NEW ORLEANS - For almost 34 minutes, Terrence Jones did almost nothing to make sure that the reason he came back to Kentucky for a second season was going to happen. Jones bypassed going to the NBA after UK¿lost to Connecticut in the 2011 Final Four because he wanted to win a national title.¿Yet when Louisville turned a 46-34 deficit into a 49-49 tie with 9 minutes, 12 seconds to play Saturday, Jones had been playing like he was auditioning for a part on UK¿super fan Ashley Judd's TV show, “Missing.” He wasn't rebounding as the Cardinals owned the boards in a way no team had this season against UK. He wasn't scoring.

LEXINGTON - It's not losing to Louisville and Rick Pitino that would bother Kentucky coach John Calipari. It's any loss in the Final Four that would bother him now that his team is close to a national championship. “You don't want to lose to anybody, like anybody. It doesn't matter him (Pitino), them, you just don't want to lose, but someone is going to,” Calipari said Tuesday. “You just want to be playing at your best. The whole thing with my team is let's play our best. Let's prepare to play great, and we will deal with the results.

LEXINGTON - Zach West knows he's going to be excited this afternoon when Kentucky opens the season at Louisville. After all, the Kentucky offensive guard has not played in a game since the end of his 2010 high school season at Lexington Christian because he was redshirted last season. “It's going to be the first time I have played since high school. I have just been basically practicing for a year and a half. That's a long time not to play, and I know this is definitely a big opportunity for me and one I can't wait for,” said West.

LEXINGTON - Martavius Neloms knows Kentucky's game Sunday at Louisville will be “a rivalry game in a hostile, intense environment” that the Wildcats need to win to start their season with needed momentum. However, the Wildcats' senior cornerback also knows there's a huge chance the game could be played with heavy rain and strong wind. “You have to play no matter the conditions. If it is raining, it will be more of a ground-and-pound type of game. We will just have to stop the run or whatever their plan is. If they want to pound the ball (running)

LEXINGTON — Chuck Smith never coached Jordan Aumiller at Boyle County, but he had a good idea about Aumiller’s potential when he recruited him to play at Kentucky. That’s why Smith, the former Boyle coach who led the Rebels to five state titles, is not surprised Aumiller will be the Wildcats’ starting tight end Saturday in the season-opening game at Louisville. “I have been on him all week. I am just always telling him he needs to be doing this and that because he is representing Boyle County, and we take a lot of pride in that, and he will represent us well,” Smith said Wednesday.

LEXINGTON — Before his senior season at Rockcastle County started, Brad Durham made a verbal commitment to play for Louisville. The offensive lineman thought his college plans were set, only to have then-Louisville coach Bobby Petrino renege on the scholarship offer a few months later. Then-Kentucky coach Rich Brooks immediately offered Durham a scholarship again, which Durham accepted. The move turned out well for both UK and Durham as he became a started and has helped the Wildcats get bowl-eligible for a fifth straight season.

LEXINGTON - No. 3 Kentucky faces No. 4 Louisville in a Bluegrass showdown Saturday, but UK coach John Calipari stressed Tuesday that his team is not overlooking tonight's home game with Lamar. “We haven't talked about this weekend at all. They may have been looking at it or seen it, but I don't think so,” said Calipari. “We're still trying to get better. We're going to play a well-coached (Lamar) team that's going to come in and play to beat us and are not going to be intimidated as seniors.