Kentucky Prepares for Intense Atmosphere in The Phog

For the second straight Saturday the Kentucky Wildcats are on the road, playing in front of a loud, rowdy crowd. Auburn’s Cracker Jack box arena contained the volume, creating a deafening din on the hardwood. Kansas’ Phog Allen Fieldhouse creates a similar effect, one former KU grad assistant John Calipari is all too familiar with.

“You feel the sound. You FEEL it,” said Calipari. “I’ve been in there where I got pushed on the floor from the sound.”

Kentucky Must Communicate Effectively Through the Phog

“We gotta go in and rely on one another because it’s going to be loud in there,” said Keion Brooks. “We gotta communicate and just be one on the court, and do what we can to make sure we’re executing to the best of our ability.”

Brooks has played in his fair share of big-game environments. Even though the noise can create practical problems, the junior forward does not believe it interferes with the game too much.

“Once the game gets started, you really get lost in the game. The crowd doesn’t have too much of an effect unless you let it affect the game. You take that stuff away by executing and communicating with your teammates,” said Brooks. “Once the game gets started, we’re focusing in on ourselves and listening to what the staff tells us.”

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Communication falls heavily on the shoulders of point guard Sahvir Wheeler. The victim of hard-hitting screens because of poor communication, UK has revamped its efforts to make sure he’s aware. Wheeler has also made some adjustments throughout the season to make sure everyone is on the same page Saturday night.

“I think we’ve had a little practice with that in-game, knowing how to communicate with each other. I think the biggest thing is going to be making sure we huddle up. Make it quick, but make it effective with keywords because it’s going to be loud,” said Wheeler.

“I think our overall flow, our overall chemistry is going to help us a lot. We know what we’re doing, we know how to get to our spots, we trust each other and we know where we’re going to be. As long as we keep that trust and share the ball, I think we’re going to be all right.”