Bledsoe Interview...

Spent my time after the game with Eric Bledsoe. He was a lot more timid in his interview than on the court. It is easy to forget that he is still just a freshman when you see him play. He answered most of the questions with, “Yes Sir and Yes Ma’am.” He accidentally replied to a question from a female reporter with, “Yes Sir” and got a little bit of a laugh for that. Here is some of what he had to say:

Bledsoe apparently still had some problems with the ankle, (which is exciting to think about considering how well he played)… "I Had to stop thinking about my ankle at halftime. Felt great when the fans went crazy. I had a box-out in the first half and I turned around and it kinda popped. Couldn't let coach know because I didn't want to come out. It should be fine though. It still isn‘t 100%, I just want to get it right as soon as possible." He kind of went back and forth on the ankle being fine and talking about having to tough it out.

On if he expected to start next to John Wall.... “I didn‘t ever really question whether or not I‘d start. I just have the mentality of going out there and playing my game. Nobody can stop me from playing. I didn't expect it necessarily (starting), but it works out good!" That one was with a big smile that the reporters seemed to eat up.

On the pace… “Coach just told me to push it. He said ‘they’re getting tired and fatigued and just to push it down their throat.’ I felt more pressure without him (Wall) in the game. I had to bring the ball up every possession and couldn’t really take a breath. Just had to lean on Pat a little more and I had to pick it up at the guard spot."

On Patterson… “Coach told him he had to man up and to start going after the rebounds with two hands instead of tipping it around with one. He just turned into that beast. He has that toughness. He won‘t back down from a challenge. Coach might get on him a little bit but he won’t get frustrated. He will just learn and keep playing. Coach wants Pat to be the leader of this team and he is.”

On playing with Wall... "Whoever has the ball is just going to push it and attack the rim at all times. He is a great person. Thought he might be a jerk coming in and big time you but he is just really a great person. He is a wonderful person. You just love being around him."

On the fans... "They were great, were really welcoming. They were crazy. Got chills really. Never played in front of anything like this before. Great to get a win in my first game. We knew they were good and we had to play well to win. Their guards are real good, and they had a really good big man."

On 'The Shot'... He fielded a lot of questions concerning the shot. "I just threw it up… I was just falling down… Was surprised it went in. Thought I was going to end up on the bench if that didn't go down… Thought Coach was going to go crazy... Coach tells us to throw it up to the rim and let the big guy go get it though and that is what I did. Just one of them prayers… Closest shot I’ve made to that one would have to be a half court shot."

On believing every shot is going in… “That is just how I have played my whole life. I just try to play big.”

On toughness... "Not everybody has that toughness. That’s just one thing I’ve got. I got beat up a lot growing up playing ball. Was in elementary school playing against seniors in high school. Now they get to see me play and say that they got to toughen me up."

On how he gets his shot off... "I just have a lot of hang time. I just jump up in the air and pause for a little bit. I just try to go by people. Doesn‘t matter who it is, I am just going to try to go past him."

On what he learned tonight… “How to be a team player. How I have to get the ball to the big men because we are going to need them in the long run. I just want to help them. ”

On playing as much as he did... “Didn't know I was going to play 37 minutes. Coach said he wasn't going to take a chance with me being hurt but I guess he thought we needed me to go that long."

On his favorite NBA player... "Chris Paul. I've seen him make shots like that plenty of times." Guess it rubbed off a little bit. Bledsoe left alone the question about Rondo and CP3 getting into it recently.

On Coach being a little less loving... "It was shocking. It was real shocking. We have seen that side in practice though. He can get in ya skin."

On which is tougher to learn: Defense or the Dribble Drive… Bledsoe went back and forth on this one… “The Dribble Drive Offense. There is a whole lot you have to do. There is a lot of movement and it is really tough.”

On if he could get used to the Ovations... "Ohhh Yea. Most of the shots I don't know how I made." Said this with a big smile, he was a little bit speechless about the fan reaction.

On the blocks... "I can block a couple shots now!”

On what he gets the most satisfaction from… “I just am more worried about getting my teammates involved and getting them going."

Bledsoe has a thick southern drawl that might endear him to many of the UK fans. From what I could tell from talking to him, he has a good mix of humility and self confidence. That's it for the interview, let us know your thoughts in the comments section.