Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Set to Host Kentucky Saturday
11/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Coach Sue Guevara is certain she will see a better effort from her Central Michigan women's basketball team the next time it steps on the court.
She'd better, because the competition level is about to rise substantially, beginning Saturday.
The Chippewas (1-0) will play host to Kentucky (3-0) in a non-conference game at McGuirk Arena. The Wildcats, a perennial contender in the Southeastern Conference, are ranked ninth in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 13th by the Associated Press. They have made five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and have advanced at least as far as the Sweet 16 in each of the past three seasons.
"They're good, there's a reason they're in the top 25," Guevara said. "They're fast, they're aggressive. They know the kind of toothpaste you used in the morning. That's how tight they play you. They just get after you."
Which means the Chippewas run the risk of getting run out of their own gym if they turn in a lackluster performance as they did in their season-opening 72-70 win over UMass on Sunday.
"I addressed that," Guevara said. "I was really disappointed in our effort, because I really thought we were past that. And I specifically went after some key people and how they approach the game. That's our mindset - every game we play is a big game.
"We got UMass' A game. They didn't get ours. Every time we're on the floor, you have to give you're A game."
Playing programs the caliber of Kentucky has become a yearly ritual for CMU under Guevara.
"Notre Dame, Louisville, Purdue, Navy all have come in here," Guevara said. "We've played some really good teams here, and we've been on the road and played some really good teams."
Ultimately, playing such rugged competition in November and December has served the Guevara-coached Chippewas well. Last November, CMU lost at Kentucky, 96-74, before going on to win the Mid-American Conference West Division title.
Kentucky isn't the last upper-echelon program the Chippewas will see. They will play second-ranked South Carolina along with Dayton, a preseason top 25 team, before the Mid-American Conference opener on Jan. 3. Also on the docket are teams representing the likes of the Big Ten, the Pac 12 and the Atlantic 10.
But because the Chippewas are accustomed to annually playing top-notch competition in preparation for the MAC schedule, they won't be in awe of anybody, and the focus is squarely on themselves and in how they prepare to play.
"This is about us -- it's always about us," Guevara said.
But that isn't to say the Chippewas don't give the Kentuckys of the world their due, or any other opponent, for that matter.
UK coach Matthew Mitchell "has said he wants to have the fastest team in the country," Guvara said. "They just push that ball right down your throat. We like to play fast so I just want to make sure we'll be ready to play.
"I think that we have to be patient, and patient with our shot selection. Because a quick shot and a poor shot leads to two points down on the other end for them."
There have been a lot of those points for the Wildcats this season. They opened with a 111-74 win over Appalachian State then rallied from a 14-point deficit for an impressive 74-64 victory over then-No. 8 Baylor. The Wildcats defeated Morehead State by 29 points on Wednesday.
The Wildcats are averaging 92 points per game while holding opponents to 66.7. Jennifer O'Neill leads Kentucky in scoring at 18.7 points per game. She is one of five Wildcats to average double figures.
"I think what we have to do is change it up, slow them down and make them play in a half-court game," Guevara said. "We really have to make them a three-point shooting team."
