What is a "statement game," exactly? It's one of those sports-speak clichés that insidiously creeps into our consciousness, even if we're not exactly sure what the phrase itself means. In some ways, every game is a statement, no? And if you want to get really philosophical, every action a human performs is in some way a "statement," is it not?

But I'll leave The Idiot's Guide to Plato on the bookshelf for now. At hand is the matter of whether Kentucky's Tuesday night game versus Kansas in Madison Square Garden -- part of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon, now just eight hours away! -- is the moment Kentucky will seize this season and prove to everybody that they should be considered a favorite to win the national title. In other words, it's Kentucky's opportunity to make a statement: Pay attention. We're really good.

In any case, Kentucky guard Doron Lamb and coach John Calipari were both asked whether they viewed Tuesday night as a statement game. Lamb was quick to agree with the premise, but Calipari couldn't toss water on it quickly enough. From the Lexington Herald-Leader's Jerry Tipton:

“Prove to everybody we’re the best team in the country,” Lamb said. “Go out and play harder than them.”

But Calipari recoiled from the idea that UK can make a statement. “It may be a statement game,” he said, noting that Kansas may be the team making a statement.

You can understand why Calipari would choose that tact. If he agrees the game is about making a statement, and Kentucky disappoints -- it is early in the year, after all, and his team is still inexperienced -- then he would have unwittingly focused unrequited hype and anticipation on his team. Much better to under-promise and over-deliver at this point in the season.

But the premise itself is the wrong one. Kentucky doesn't need to make a statement Tuesday night. First of all, we already know Kentucky is very good; even if the Wildcats don't play well against Kansas (and they probably will, but who knows), the sheer overwhelming talent on this team isn't going to go anywhere. Second, it's a long season. A result on Nov. 15 doesn't define your season or permanent impressions of your team. There is too much basketball to play between now and the first week of April for it to carry that much weight.

Is it a big game? Oh yeah. Is it an important one? Sure. Nonconference performance matters, Kentucky will likely be in the hunt for a No. 1 seed -- all of that stuff matters. And Calipari's right: Kansas could perform much better than expected, and we'll spend the next week talking about how Bill Self put together yet another underrated team. There are consequences here. But the notion that Kentucky needs to win to prove how good it is seems just a bit silly. If that's the expectation, then the question -- How good is Kentucky? -- also provides the answer.