The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - Kentucky basketball coach Tubby Smith figures that no matter the surroundings, his players can't shoot much worse than they did last Saturday - even if they're playing at a football field.

The eighth-ranked Wildcats beat UCLA 52-50 despite shooting 27.1 percent from the field, their worst shooting effort since a 24.5-percent effort in a loss to Georgetown in the 1984 Final Four.

The surroundings for their next game, Saturday against No. 21 Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit, wouldn't seem ideal for a team that has struggled with perimeter shooting.

"Hopefully we've worked with them fundamentally so that they understand that you're there playing a basketball game," Smith said. "It's kind of like a thoroughbred in a race. You've got to put the blinders on and not be able to see all those things. I don't think our players will be distracted by the ambiance and the size of the arena. I hope not, anyway."

Dubbed "The BasketBowl," the Kentucky-Michigan State game could draw more than 75,000 fans to the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions. The world basketball attendance record is 75,000, set in 1951 when the Harlem Globetrotters played at Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The NCAA attendance record is 68,112, set Jan. 20, 1990 at a Notre Dame-Louisiana State game at the Superdome in New Orleans.

"This is going to be the biggest game in history, so we are going to have fun and try to get the win," Kentucky forward Erik Daniels said. "Playing in front of all those people is almost like a football game."

Kentucky, seeking its first 5-0 start since the 1992-93 season, took too many poor shots against UCLA, Smith said. Three starters - Chuck Hayes, Cliff Hawkins and Gerald Fitch - and reserve Antwain Barbour combined to go 6-of-36 from the field. Smith said 25 of those shots were bad - either contested or the result of poor spacing, poor shot preparation or lack of patience with the offense.

"Our guys trying to create shots off the dribble was the biggest problem," Smith said. "You're less effective when you're putting the ball on the floor, versus catching and just shooting it."

Smith's other major concern is developing depth. Only one reserve, Barbour, averages more than nine minutes per game. Kentucky's 11 bench players have contributed only 39 points in four games.

"It is just going to take time for us to settle down and contribute off the bench," reserve guard Brandon Stockton said. "We are still getting better in practice every day."

Smith said he might alter his substitution pattern in hopes it will provide a positive change of pace. For example, he might bring in one of the team's centers for a guard, or vice versa.

Kentucky's tough schedule makes it a challenge for Smith to develop his reserves. The Wildcats are in the midst of a stretch in which they are playing UCLA, Michigan State, Indiana, Louisville and North Carolina on five consecutive Saturdays. The Spartans' (3-3) losses have come to Duke, Kansas and Oklahoma - all ranked in the top 11.