Chin Coleman breaks down Kentucky's mindset

Following a loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball program stood on shaky ground. Still, Wildcats assistant coach Chin Coleman felt confident in the squad as they prepared for their road matchup against Mississippi State. Just ahead of that Wednesday night matchup, Coleman broke down the Wildcats’ mindset entering into the game.

“I think our guy’s mindset is they have a sense of urgency. I think they know that we gotta get ourselves together again right now as we move down the stretch of the season in terms of getting closer to the end. We want to finish strong in the conference (and) we wanna have a good showing in the conference tournament. And then, hopefully, after that, in the tournament, if we take care of those things step by step,” said Coleman.

Kentucky definitely had a sense of urgency in the game as they were able to knock off the Bulldogs 71-68. The Wildcats had just eight players available to them, which meant some individuals had to step up and play a more prominent role. And that they did. Before the game tipped off, Coleman highlighted that as a point of emphasis if Kentucky was going to be successful against Mississippi State.

“But again, our guys understand. They understand the level of what we’re dealing with right now. Some guys on our team right now have to take on a more heavier load. Because we’re down a few guys. No excuse; you know, next man up. But some guys gotta step up a little bit more and carry a heavier load than normal with two of our guys supposedly out. I don’t know yet. We haven’t practiced, but we’ll see how that goes.

With five games remaining on the schedule, every game is critical to Kentucky’s chances of making it to the NCAA tournament in March. Up next for the Wildcats is a massive game against their SEC East rival Tennessee. The Volunteers enter Saturday’s contest as the No. 10 ranked team in the country and are fresh off a victory against the No. 1 team Alabama. Kentucky and Tennessee are scheduled for a 12:00 PM noon CT tip-off from the Wildcats’ home of Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, and can be seen on CBS.