The Winchester Sun: Winchester, KY

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Cuz: Wake will challenge Cats
By Keith Taylor
March 20, 2010

NEW ORLEANS — DeMarcus Cousins knows what Kentucky will be up against in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Although Wake Forest is somewhat of a mirror image of the top-seeded Wildcats and known as one of the bigger teams in the post, Cousins said the Wildcats can’t afford to overlook the Demon Deacons (20-10) in the second of two semifinals games today at New Orleans Arena.

“My own concern is just us coming out with a high energy and playing our game,” Cousins said. “And if they come out with a high energy and we come out lackadaisical, they could beat us.”

Old Dominion and Baylor will meet in the first game at 5:45 p.m., followed by Kentucky and the Demon Deacons at approximately 8:30 p.m. Both games will be televised on CBS.

Cousins and the Wildcats (33-2) opened the tournament with a dominating 100-71 win over East Tennessee State Thursday night. Even though Kentucky romped in the opener, Cousins knows the risks involved beyond the first round.

Murray State stunned Southeastern Conference member Vanderbilt 66-65 Thursday to win its first tournament game since 1988.

“I got to see some of the games,” he said Friday. “I mean, so far what I've seen is that you can lose to any team on any given day in this tournament. All the rankings and the star players, all of that in the beginning of the season really doesn't matter anymore because every team brings it like it's their last game. You can lose on any given night.”

The Demon Deacons opened the tournament with an exciting 81-80 triumph over Texas in overtime Thursday night in the last of four first-round encounters at the New Orleans Arena. Cousins said Wake Forest won’t be an easy task in the post. The loss completed a meltdown down the stretch for the Longhorns, who were ranked No. 1 at one point during the regular season.

“What I noticed is they're a big team and they're a physical team,” he said. “And they crash the boards.”

In order to avoid getting shoved around in the post, Cousins will have to stay on the floor longer than he did in the team’s tournament opener. Because of foul trouble, Cousins scored just five points in 24 minutes. While on the court, Cousins did collect four blocks against the Bucs.

“You've just got to play your game,” he said. “You can't really control how the ref blows the whistle. If he thinks it's a foul, it's a foul. But you've just got to go play your game.”

Kentucky’s successful run has been attributed to team chemistry between the players and Kentucky coach John Calipari.

”We just came in (at the beginning of the season) and worked,” he said. “The returning players they welcomed us with open arms, so it was easy to adjust to the rest — well, to the returners. We just came in and worked, and we slowly started to bond, and now you've got this.”

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