Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops refuses to look past LSU this week but thinks it’s great that his team was selected for a CBS primetime game against Mississippi State in two weeks.
“You know, that’s great,” Stoops told the media this morning when asked about being selected for the CBS game. “Obviously I’m not going to get ahead of myself. But every time you win in this league, you’re going to put yourself in position for a bigger game.”
Stoops added that he believes the CBS spot is a compliment to Wildcats and the season they’ve had to this point.
Here is an excerpt of Stoops’ comments about the CBS game and about other coaches noticing the improvement in Lexington:
Q. (Question regarding UK-Miss. State in two weeks being on CBS and what that means for the program.)
COACH STOOPS: You know, that’s great. Obviously I’m not going to get ahead of myself. But every time you win in this league, you’re going to put yourself in position for a bigger game.
So I think it’s a compliment to our team what we’ve done to this point, and every game gets bigger and we have a huge one at LSU this week, and that’s what’s on our mind.
Q. Mississippi State is No. 1, Ole Miss is off to a great start. Just the way you guys have improved. Does it show that the league is becoming more balanced?
COACH STOOPS: I believe so. We’ve commented on it a little bit through some of these press conferences through the year, and I’ve mentioned it before. You don’t see anybody backing up in this league, and I know quite a few of the coaches in this league and their staffs and the commitment from a lot of people. So nobody’s going back, and I believe it does give you a little bit more parity.
Q. Have you talked to some of the other coaches in the league about the turnaround of Kentucky this year?
COACH STOOPS: We’re all busy and different things. Just congratulations here and there and texts. You know, so we have some ‑‑ I have some friends throughout the conference, like most people. Like a lot of people in this business, just like Coach Peve and all the other guys.
Q. Got some compliments along the way about how this team is playing. What’s been the best compliment anyone’s given you so far?
COACH STOOPS: I don’t want to get into too much, but the bottom line is just about the attitude and how hard we’re playing. You know, if it’s a group that plays hard, then that’s a compliment to me, so they’ve gotta be passionate and hungry and playing hard.
