Lofton ready to go for UT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Kentucky is commonly referenced as the basketball program that missed on Chris Lofton.

But Lofton grew up a Louisville fan in a house of Louisville fans.

“Red was all we knew,” he said.

The Cardinals — unlike the Wildcats — once extended a firm scholarship offer to the undersized sharpshooter. Coach Rick Pitino eventually pulled that offer, though, and Lofton ultimately chose Tennessee over Valparaiso and Arkansas State.

Now a senior, Lofton said that distant memory is inconsequential to tonight’s Sweet Sixteen game against the Cardinals. He said scoring 15 points in Freedom Hall as a freshman got any ill will out of his system.

“When I first came out, it was a big game for me personally,” Lofton said Wednesday. “But now, the NCAA tournament is on the line, and it’s going to be big no matter what, no matter who you play.”

And Lofton, apparently, is going to play. He sprinted alongside his teammates in Wednesday’s practice at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, and he confirmed Coach Bruce Pearl’s comments that he sat out Tuesday for precautionary purposes.

“I could have practiced all I wanted (Tuesday),” Lofton said. “I think everybody needs a day to rest sometimes, especially with an injury.”

Lofton said he wasn’t sure when he first injured his foot. He claimed to start feeling pain at halftime.

Pitino joked that Lofton walking around UT’s campus in a protective boot Monday was reminiscent of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady before the Super Bowl. Pitino wasn’t alone.

“Everybody’s calling me Tom Brady,” Lofton said with a laugh. “My family members back home are calling me Tom.

“I wish I was Tom. I wish I had his money.”

For now, Brady-like success would suit Lofton just fine.

A win tonight would put UT in the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Apparently the opponent adds nothing to that, even though Lofton vividly remembers losing the scholarship offer he’d always wanted.

“One day my high school coach told me that (Pitino) had taken the scholarship away,” Lofton said. “It bothered me. I was disappointed.”

Asked if he “kicked himself” for not committing to Louisville on the spot — he only had a standing offer for a few months before his junior season at Maysville (Ky.) High School — Lofton didn’t hesitate.

“Yeah, I did,” he said. “When I didn’t have any place to go, I always thought about that, that I should have gone ahead and committed to Louisville when I was young.

“My dad’s a big-time Louisville fan. A lot of my family is big-time Louisville fans.”

Pitino complimented Lofton for “adding so much to his game” since high school, adding that UT’s senior star “chose the right school.

“They were rebuilding,” Pitino said of the Vols. “He got the opportunity to play right away. I don’t think anybody missed on him, it’s just that Tennessee knew what they wanted, and certainly he’s a great fit for Tennessee, and they’re a great fit for Chris.”

Pearl maintained his stance that Pitino and former Kentucky coach Tubby Smith shouldn’t be blamed for pulling Lofton’s scholarship offer — or, in Smith’s case, never offering one.

“I don't think you can blame Kentucky and Louisville for signing better players, and I don't think you can blame Chris Lofton for becoming the player that he became,” Pearl said. “He is a self-made player. Give no coach credit. Give credit to Lofton for being the hardest working player that we've had in four years, for being a gym rat and for getting the most out of his ability.”

Prince starting again

All parties involved were publicly in unison Wednesday in regards to Pearl’s decision to stay with sophomore J.P. Prince at starting point guard.

“We won the SEC this year with good point guard play, but we did not have great point guard play,” Pearl said. “I decided to make adjustments at the position to get J.P. Prince on the floor more than 10 or 15 minutes he was getting playing behind JaJuan Smith and Chris Lofton on the wing.

“I didn’t think good point guard play was going to get us a national championship or help us advance, so I made the adjustment to put my best players on the floor. Is it difficult to do in late season? Yes. It’s most difficult to do at that position, because that’s your quarterback. But I’m convinced if we don’t make those adjustments we’re not here today.”

Prince said he would have been fine coming off the bench. Ramar Smith joked that “things worked out fine in the end” against Butler, when he re-entered the lineup in overtime and hit two big lay-ups.

“We all just want to win,” Ramar Smith said. “I don’t care how we do it. Let’s just win. That’s what I’m about.”