Stony Brook Wants to Keep It Close vs. UK

AP

Distractions aren’t a problem for the NCAA Tournament newcomers.  They know what they need to do — hang in as long as possible.

“Our goal is to keep it close and sneak out — steal a win,” 6’7″ forward Rayshaun McGrew said during yesterday’s press conference.  McGrew and the rest of his crew could’ve easily gotten caught up in the pomp and circumstance surrounding the NCAA Tournament, but coach Steve Pikiell said the Cats caught their attention quickly.

“I do think when you see Kentucky on the board you get their focus pretty quickly. They know all the players and they know what the program means. They were very familiar with them obviously, you turn on Sportscenter and you see Kentucky players,” Pikiell said.

After snapping into focus, McGrew said forming a gameplay was simple.  “We’re going to stick to what we’ve been doing all season to help us went. We know Kentucky is an elite program, but we got faith in our team and our coaching staff.”

A big part of their gameplay is feeding Jameel Warney.  The double-double machine is a finalist for the Karl Malone Award, given to the nation’s best power forward.  Over the last few days his hype has  turned him into a mythical figure (not quite a Sea Wolf though).

“We know that Kentucky is going to try to take him away first and foremost and that opens up a bunch of lanes for us to try and get ourselves going,” said Carson Puriefoy, Stony Brook’s best guard.

“We realize how talented they are and we’re going to try to dictate pace. That’s extremely important. We need to use our veteran leadership and our savvy to be able to handle that pressure and keep it close like that,” Puriefoy said.

Stony Brook’s plan is sound, however, not too many people are giving them a chance.  According to ESPN’s BPI, Kentucky has a 91% chance to win, tied for fourth as the surest bet to win.

“It really doesn’t matter if people aren’t giving us a shot. We know what we can do,” Warney said.