During the NCAA Tournament, KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene will spend 90 quality seconds with a member of the team getting set to face KU. In today’s episode, Ryan chats with 6-foot-8 Kentucky senior Bobby Perry, a Durham, N.C., native who had six points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in Friday’s 67-58 win over No. 9 seed Villanova.
Ryan Greene: When you hear the name ‘Kansas,’ what’s one word that comes to mind?
Bobby Perry: Excellence. They’re definitely one of the top programs in the nation. They’ve won so many games, they’ve won championships. Along with us, UCLA, North Carolina, what more can you say?
RG: Who’s got better tradition, Kansas or Kentucky? You’ve obviously played in both home arenas.
BP: Kentucky, by far, man. Got more wins, got more championships, got better players, come on, it’s Kentucky, man.
RG: So you’re saying numbers don’t lie?
BP: Numbers don’t lie at all. I don’t think there would be too many people that could argue the facts. So I believe Kentucky definitely has the best tradition in the nation.
RG: You look back on the NCAA Tournament, I’m assuming you probably watched it a lot growing up, what’s your very first memory of the NCAA Tournament?
BP: I grew up a North Carolina fan. I kind of remember the (1993)National Championship. One I’ll definitely remember, my mom made me go to bed early, it was Weber State-North Carolina. Weber State upset them when they were a three-seed or something. I had a radio in my room, I was listening to it on the radio. That was probably the number one memory because I think I started crying after they loss. First round, Weber State, no way. It was crazy.
RG: Do you kind of get a better feeling for what those guys were feeling when they lost when you play yourself in the NCAA Tournament, and see what all goes into it?
BP: It does. You know, you put the whole preseason, the whole season, and it comes down to this final tournament, where really one team is going to be happy at the end. And it’s tough, and you can really relate to them.
RG: You’ve played Knasas the last two years, what do you remember the most from those games that you’re going to apply on Sunday?
BP: We really realize we lost to them two straight times. And who would know that we’d get a third opportunity to face them, and on the biggest stage, them being a number one seed? We feel like it’s just a great opportunity for us to continue in the tournament.
Perry averages 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game for the Wildcats, who are in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th straight season and an NCAA record 48th time overall. Kentucky, who is 22-11 overall and had a 9-7 SEC record this year, tips off against Kansas at 4:15 p.m. Sunday in the United Center with a Sweet Sixteen berth on the line.