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Even with a number No. 1 rankling, University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari says his team needs to improve. And the Wildcat skipper says he knows just the medicine that might make the Cats better.

His prescription might surprise some Cat fans.

"In all these close games you're gonna start getting nipped. You know what I told them last night, Tony? We met at my house. I said, 'We probably need to get beat so you guys will understand that you cannot let a team come in and kick sand in your face and accept it.' You can't do it," Cal said during an interview with Atlanta radio station 790 the Zone.

Cal says he likes the varying challenges different opponents bring to the arena. Alabama played the Cats physical, challenging their toughness, and the UK coach said it threw his squad off a bit, pointing out Anthony Davis as an example.

"My team, as you know, we're starting three freshman and two sophomores, and what happens is every experience for these guys is new. That's why I liked what Alabama did to us. They basically, one of their players said, 'Our coach told us to be aggressive, hit 'em, and rebound.' I don't know what hit them means, but they hit us," he said. "Anthony wasn't ready for the body to body contact. Anthony missed three dunks. How can he miss a dunk when his head is near the rim? Well when that body is on you and shoving you into the cheerleaders it's harder to dunk. You have to figure out how I hold my ground, how I bend over, and hold position as they get physical. All this stuff is new to my team."

But Cal also heaped some praise on his freshman big man, along with fellow youngster Michael Kid-Gilchrist.

"He (Davis) blocked about nine of mine when we're doing walkthroughs. He's a great kid. He's like the kid Marcus Camby that I had. He doesn't command the ball offensively, will do all the dirty work. He and Michael Gilchrist both do. Dive on the floor, come up with balls, and I get mad at my other guys because I say, 'Oh you let him dive on the floor and you shoot all the balls. That's how this is supposed to work?' How fair is that?"

The top-ranked Cats will take on Georgia in Athens Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. ESPN will televise the contest.