Complacency is a tough thing for a coach to guard against when his team wins big.

In case anyone missed it, John Calipari’s team housed Morehouse by 85 points in its final exhibition game Monday. Oddly, that result would make a lot of coaches think, “Uh oh.” It’s only human nature for one to puff his chest and close his ears after such a confidence-building rout, but Coach Cal isn’t overly concerned with how his team will react following its dominating performance.

“It’s hard being up 60 and continuing to play,” Calipari said. “It’s hard, and they played.”

While Coach Cal complimented his team for its improvement from the Transylvania matchup, he warned everyone after the game that he would find something he didn’t like when he watched the tape.

You better believe he found a few things.

“He’s got to find something,” freshman guard Marquis Teague said. “Coaches have to say something.”

Said freshman forward Anthony Davis: “He was really disappointed with the little things like running wide, boxing out, rebounding and everything like that.” 

Overall, Coach Cal was pretty pleased with how his team responded from a so-so outing against Transylvania. Calipari said his team started better, took better shots, played tougher defense, ran wide and executed its opportunities.

Even so, as his team prepares to open the regular season on Friday against Marist (7 p.m. tip at Rupp Arena), Coach Cal tried to temper expectations Thursday.

“I’m fine with where we are; it’s who we’re going to have to play,” Calipari said. “Everybody doesn’t want to accept when I said, ‘It’s going to be hard.’ ”

Calipari mentioned that his team hasn’t even worked on how they get a shot off in the waning seconds of the game or the end of the shot clock, which they worked on Thursday for the first time in practice. He also said they just put in their out-of-bounds plays.

“Other teams are way, way, way ahead of us – way ahead of us,” Calipari said. “I’m still sticking by there are 60, 70, 80 teams that could beat us.”

Against Morehouse, Kentucky shot 72.7 percent, held the opposition to 22.7 percent and forced 26 turnovers. It’s hard to fathom there are two are three teams that could beat UK when it plays like that, much less 70 or 80.

“I will say this,” Calipari said, “the way we played against Morehouse, it would be hard for them because it wasn’t just Morehouse; it was how we played.”

Asked what he thought when Calipari pointed out the things they need to work on, Teague smiled.

“Uh, we won by 85,” Teague said. “But it still matters. You’ve still got to do everything right.”

Miller to start Friday; Lamb gets nod next week

As Calipari tries to figure out a starting lineup with six available options, he’s at least come up with a formula for the next two games.

Darius Miller is expected to start Friday alongside Marquis Teague, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis. (photo by Chad Hobson)

Senior forward Darius Miller, who started Monday, will get the nod against Marist, but sophomore guard Doron Lamb will “in all likelihood” start Tuesday in New York against Kansas.

“I do that with anybody that goes home,” Calipari said. “We go into their hometown I start them. I would tell you that would probably be the case there, but maybe in the next couple of days or three days he doesn’t do his thing. I doubt it.”

Lamb scored a quiet 12 points Monday off the bench, hitting 4-of-12 shots, but Calipari said Lamb is “jumping on the Josh Harrellson” workout plan.

It’s unclear what motivated Lamb to start showing up to practice early , but Coach Cal said Lamb can’t expect to reap the benefits all season based off one week of extra work. Calipari is looking for Lamb to continue it through the year, choosing a hilarious anecdote reference.

“It’s like me going to Argentina and gaining 18 pounds eating steaks and having to come back now and day by day have people say, ‘You’ve got to (lose weight).’ I’ve been running. I have been,” Calipari said. ”My suits are a little tight, I know. And the only person that’s fine with it is my wife. For me that’s the only one I care about. It’s a day-to-day, keep doing it.”

Poole still with team

Sophomore guard Stacey Poole remains with the team, although his status going forward remains unclear. Poole has not appeared in UK’s two exhibition games and his father has publicly said that he’s contemplating a transfer for his son.

Calipari said Thursday that there is no new update with Poole, but the sophomore guard is still on the roster and with the team. Coach Cal was out of town Wednesday and hasn’t gotten a chance to speak with him since earlier in the week.

“I wanted him to take time,” Calipari said. “You want every player to stay and fight through it. If a young man doesn’t think his opportunity is here – they all want to play. I will support him. I’m disappointed if he chooses to do that, but he’s a great kid and I think a terrific basketball player.”

Familiar face

Five of Coach Cal’s former assistants are currently the head coach at another school. On Friday, Calipari will face one of them when he goes to battle with Marist’s Chuck Martin.

“He’s a terrific coach,” Calipari said. “He took over a situation, which is hard when you lose like seven, eight guys from the year before. You try to bring in guys and plug holes and you get behind and this kid is not making it and all of a sudden you’re in that situation. My hope is this is his breakout year because he’s got a good job and it’s a great program.”

‘No-shave for November’

The decision to grow their beards started as a superstition late last year to get UK on the right track and help the Cats to a deep tournament run. Coincidence or not, Kentucky went on to win 10 straight games before losing in the Final Four as UK’s equipment managers let their facial hair grow wild.

Now Will Martin and his fellow managers are putting down their razors to raise awareness for prostate cancer. In conjunction with the Markey Cancer Foundation, the managers for UK’s basketball team are participating in “No Shave for November.”

(Video of Martin)

“Let’s do both,” Martin said. “Let’s try to actually raise awareness and see where it takes us. Maybe we raise a little money, maybe we raise a lot, but no matter what, if we can make a difference we should do that.”

Coach Cal will not be growing a beard but said he fully supports the cause.

“I would do that with them but when I grow (a beard) it looks gray and I really look old,” Calipari said.

Martin said Calipari’s power alone to promote it on the Internet and through social media is all the support they need.

“Do you realize Coach Cal has over a million followers on Twitter?” senior manager Brett Miller told Martin at practice one day. “If every single one of Coach Cal’s followers donated one dollar to this foundation, we would raise over a million dollars for cancer awareness. That just shows how much impact Coach Cal has, how much impact Kentucky fans have, how much impact this basketball program has.”

And if the team is undefeated at the end of November?

“I don’t want to mess with any type of superstition,” Martin said. “Coach Cal is a pretty superstitious guy. If we’re undefeated at the end of the month, we’re going to try to keep it going and try to keep raising money.”

Checks can be made to: Markey Cancer Foundation, 800 Rose Street, CC160, Lexington, KY 40536-0093 or by visiting the Markey Cancer Foundation website: www.markeycancerfoundation.org.

Delayed excitement

Reporters hoping to get comments from Coach Cal on the latest recruiting news were disappointed to find out that UK will delay Signing Day announcements until next week.

“We’ll announce when all the kids have announced,” Calipari said. “Next week, when we get the entire class in we’ll go through it.”

No SI jinx for Jones

Sophomore Terrence Jones appeared on one of five regional Sports Illustrated covers Wednesday that hit newsstands nationwide.

“It feels real good just to represent the school and the team on something that big,” said Jones, who averaged a team-leading 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in UK’s two exhibition games. “It makes me proud to be able to be that person.”

Jones said he’s not worried about the much-debated SI cover jinx.