Kentucky moves past Gonzaga while not looking ahead to Louisville: "We're really focused on Colgate."

Kentucky is in a unique spot, one many would consider trap game territory. We know Mark Pope doesn’t believe in such a thing, obviously, but you’d assume it to be easier said than done for a bunch of college kids coming off an upset win across the country over a top-10 team with a massive rivalry matchup coming up this weekend. You’ve got Gonzaga and Louisville on back-to-back Saturdays with a mid-week matchup vs. Colgate — 2-8 on the year and No. 273 in the KenPom rankings — slapped between the two.

You know what they say about assuming, though.

The Wildcats are sticking to the script with this one, no matter the perceived competition against the Patriot League foe.

“Tomorrow is a big game — the biggest game of our lives. We’re going to go out there and try to take care of business,” Ansley Almonor told KSR. “… We just kind of started our scout on them yesterday. They try to shoot a lot of threes and play pretty fast, play a lot of guards. It’s going to be a good little challenge for us.”

The team has quickly closed the book on Seattle and the statement victory the Wildcats earned. It was a fun trip with a big-time reward, but that was game nine of what Kentucky hopes to be 40 on the year. Understanding the long-term goal is crucial in the team’s journey, fighting for banner No. 9.

No time to let one game linger when there are plenty more to come.

“Just coming in after the big win and not getting to high or too low,” Brandon Garrison added. “Just getting ready for Colgate this upcoming Wednesday and looking forward to trying to get another win.”

Still celebrating Gonzaga now means you’re not taking today’s preparation seriously enough for tomorrow, as Almonor put it.

“Coach tries to preach to us every day we’re not about wins and losses, we’re about getting better every day,” he said. “As long as we’re getting better every day, we’ll get where we want to end up. That week was a big week for us, big win, but each day we’re just trying to get better. Today is another part of that.”

When that’s the mindset that has been engrained in this group from day one, it’s not difficult to prepare for a team like Colgate — even with Gonzaga behind or Louisville ahead. Again, you only get 31 guaranteed regular-season games before everything is win-or-go-home from there when postseason play begins. Why fast forward through any opportunity?

“I wouldn’t really say it’s hard because Coach preaches that to us every day, not focusing on (the next game). We’re really focused on Colgate,” Almonor said. “We’re trying to take care of business tomorrow and get better today, then get better again tomorrow so that when Louisville does come up on the schedule, we’re the best we can be up until that moment.

“Day by day, we’re trying to get better.”

The Cats are in the right headspace ahead of Colgate with tip-off scheduled inside of Rupp Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, live on ESPN2.