PAGE 5   THE CATS'  PAUSE, JANUARY 8,  1977
Four SEC Teams Should Be Ranked In Top 15
Question- Kentucky was awesome against Notre Dame Thursday night in Louisville. Can the Wildcats play any better than they did against the Irish?
Coach Hall- Oh, yes. We had nineteen turnovers and Notre Dame shot about 52 percent from the field. We need to improve on those two statistics. We were in trouble with the Notre Dame press with our second unit and during that time they outscored us 20-10 in five minutes. We can definitely improve certain parts of our game although it was a superb effort for us. It did point out several weaknesses we had. Our passing game was very unselfish and overall we were well pleased.
Question - Many sports teams have found the hex from such publications as The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. Hard times have befell many a great team after being featured in such publications. Did you realize Kentucky was featured in Sports Illustrated the week of the University of Kentucky Invitational Tournament when everything bad happened?
Coach Hall- I guess we didn't recognize the problem soon enough to get my special antedote in action for the hex.
Question - Several fans have asked why Kentucky is not scheduled to play on national television and NBC this season. Why not?
Coach Hall- All of the teams that are on national television this year had to have cooperation from opponents in rescheduling some of their games. We were asked to move our last game with Alabama to a Sunday for national television but it necessitated certain other changes in the schedule and the arrangements couldn't be worked out with the other teams.
Question- Will Kentucky scheduling take into consideration the national television schedule in future years and will there be any Sunday afternoon games?
Coach Hall- Yes, there will be Sunday afternoon games in the future and we'll probably be on national television, but we don't know exactly what games until the schedules are announced each year.
Question - How many conference wins do you think will be needed to win the Southeastern Conference this season?
Coach Hall- Fifteen wins will probably win the title. That's what we usually figure on in the SEC and fourteen wins will probably give you a tie. The balance in our conference this season is unusually good.
Question - Some 5,000 to 6,000 Kentucky fans were reported at your morning practice session in Freedom Hall last week before the game with Notre Dame. It must have been a good feeling for the team and staff to see so many fans out for a practice session.
Coach Hall- It was a good crowd and they were real enthusiastic and excited. More people were asking for tickets at the Notre Dame game than any game since I've been here. They were even at the parking ticket entrances before the game trying to get tickets and meeting people as they got out of their car, hoping to get an extra ticket. I've never seen anything like it.
Question - Do you think the pollsters are taking into consideration the fact that Kentucky was without three players when the Wildcats lost to Utah in the UKIT?
Coach Hall- No. I don't think so. But the pollsters sometimes puzzle everyone. Like the NBC poll on television Sunday. It had UCLA ahead of us and UCLA had lost to Notre Dame on UCLA's home floor. I don't understand the polls sometimes.
Question - At this point, where do you think Kentucky should be ranked? How many SEC teams should be in the Top 15?
Coach Hall- I'm about like all the other people. I haven't seen enough of other teams play to make an educated judgment but based on our play alone we probably should be third or fourth in the country. However, the polls really don't make a whole lot of difference. As long as we're not number one, it gives us something to work for.
Question - Would you argue with a number one rating should the polls put you there?
Coach Hall- No, I would accept it just as much as any other team in the country. I just don't think there is a clear-cut number one team at this time. San Francisco showed in the NIT last year that they are young and coming on. Alabama is a great team but I haven't seen Cincinnati play yet. There are three and probably four SEC clubs which deserve national ranking. They are Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi State and us.
Question - Some fans have suggested the current Kentucky club is the best since the 1966 Rupp's Runts and maybe even better. Do you agree?
Coach Hall-1 can't tell. I'm too close to them. They have the potential to be one of the greatest teams. Greatness is the ability to sustain the type of game we've had against some of the better
teams this year, not just a game or two.
Question- Kentucky has beaten Notre Dame, Indiana and South Carolina already this season and the latter two on the road. How do you rank those clubs as of today?
Coach Hall- I still think Notre Dame has one of the top teams in the country. They will win a lot of games and probably be in the NCAA play-offs in March. Indiana is probably the next toughest of the three and is rapidly improving and will be a good team by the end of the season. They'll be shooting for a runner-up spot in the Big Ten Conference and a spot in the NCAA play-offs. South Carolina has played Alabama within four and Michigan within four. They're young and will come along. I was impressed with Kansas' second place finish in the Big Eight tourney and they were without their seven-foot center, Paul Mokeski.
Question - How do you describe the return of Mike Phillips, Jay Shidler and Truman Claytor to the team after the suspension during the UKIT?
Coach Hall- They played enthusiastic and showed no ill effects of their lay-off. They've handled the discipline with a good and positive attitude.
Question - You have Vanderbilt coming up this Saturday and it's the first   road   trip   of   the conference
season. What can Wildcat fans expect from Vandy in Nashville?
Coach Hall- Vandy always plays Kentucky tough in Nashville. You can count on that. They have a real young club and lost the services of the "F" Troop through graduation last season. Vanderbilt has some excellent young players, especially two freshmen, 6-4 Greg Fuller and 6-7 Charles Davis. Another Vandy player who is doing well is 6-9 John Snead at the post. Dick Keefer is an excellent floor leader and a good outside shooter. Their most outstanding game thus far was the double-overtime loss to Louisville.
Question - As Kentucky enters the SEC conference, is everyone healthy?
Coach Hall- Everyone except Rick (Robey). He's got an internal stomach disorder but I don't think it's very serious. He's still practicing and is
expected to play.
Question - Basketball Weekly has an outstanding feature on Kentucky in this week's edition and said Kentucky could possibly be the best team in the country, if it can learn to cope with prosperity. What's your reaction to that statement?
Coach Hall- Prosperity sometimes causes more problems than adversity. It takes a different type character to stay on top and not relax once you attain the top spot.
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