Vicky Graff Photo
Remember Kentucky coach John Calipari did warn UK fans that his team might be “shaky” in November and December.
He was right because there was a lot that was shaky about the Cats when it mattered the most in Tuesday night’s 86-77 loss in double overtime to Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
And blowing a lead and losing in the same city where the Cats lost to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament in March is not exactly the confidence boost Big Blue Nation needed — especially after the way the UK football team has also imploded.
What makes it even worse is that Kentucky is now 1-5 in the last six Champions Classic on top of being 2-3 in the last five CBS Sports Classics. That’s not the kind of nationally televised marquee marketing the Kentucky basketball program enjoys.
“We did enough to win the game,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the loss where UK failed to score in the final four minutes of the second overtime.
Calipari did point the finger at himself more than his players for UK’s late game collapses.
“When you talk about late-game situations, that’s on me as a coach. Let’s figure this out,” Calipari said after the game.
Michigan State Tom Izzo said he knew UK’s Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler — UK’s two leading scorers — had missed time with injuries. He also knew Daimion Collins had been out after his father’s death.
“You were more prepared to finish a game off than we were,” Calipari said he told Izzo after the game. “We just haven’t practiced together. Some of the late-game stuff … we’ve had three guys out that you expect to play.”
On his brief postgame show with Tom Leach on the UK Radio Network he said “(missed) free throws killed us” along with not executing on offense
“When we would get ready to go on a run, we would have a guy go the wrong way. That’s on me,” Calipari said.
He talked about Lance Ware getting tangled up with a Michigan State player that enabled Malik Hall to go the length of the floor on an inbounds play and tie the score to force a second overtime with a dunk.
He noted that on the inbounds play at the end of regulation that resulted in another Hall dunk to force overtime happened when Tshiebwe made a mistake.
“We play a certain way on the baseline (inbounds play). No one leaves their man. The only one who helps is the in-bounder’s man. We left the guy and tried to switch. We don’t play that way. He hadn’t played in four weeks,” Calipari said.
The coach admitted he probably should have played Antonio Reeves more the second overtime after Tshiebwe fouled out. Reeves had not been making shots but knowing UK did not score the final four minutes, Calipari realized he might have had the wrong combination in the game.
“In hindsight I probably should have done that (played Reeves) after Oscar was out,” Calipari said.
12 Responses
First, this quote defies the headline, "“You were more prepared to finish a game off than we were,” Calipari said he told Izzo after the game. “We just haven’t practiced together. Some of the late-game stuff … we’ve had three guys out that you expect to play.”
This is classic excuse-making. It is not taking responsibility for what happened on the floor that led to Calipari snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Calipari is a disaster, but there is no great new revelation in that statement.
His players’ first philosophy is at the core of this problem and has been since he arrived. He got fortunate and caught lightning in a bottle in 2012, but his "tweaks" have cost these teams critical wins and championships. Starting with 2010’s loss to West Virginia, the litany seems to grow each year and includes 2 losses to UConn, once in the final four (2011) and once in the championship game (2014), and the loss to Wisconsin with an unbeatable team in 2015. Since 2015, the quality of play has been in steady and demonstrable decline.
His teams routinely get beat on in-bound plays like last night and are unable to develop an offense that takes advantage of the attributes of the players, like last night. These are just two of his coaching issues, but there are others. Having the wrong players on the floor at critical moments in order to keep his pre-selected NBA favorites visible has cost this program in huge games over his tenure here.
Last night, the players put the team in a position to win in regulation, but Calipari’s failure sent it to OT. The players put the team in a position to win in OT, but Calipari’s failure sent it to 2 OT without Oscar on the floor.
Game, Set, and Match!!
Finally, those of you who also recognize Calipari’s problems, welcome aboard a very unwelcome position in these parts.
Well said Professor. Let me add that Cal’s clock management failures and unwillingness to invest the time or resources to teach pressurized free throw shooting have cost him at least one national championship (probably two). It all adds up to a coach that is unwilling to recognize and correct his weaknesses. They continue to be exploited on a routine basis by excellent coaches with inferior talent. Kentucky players and fans deserve better!
Not being able to score on an innovative inbounds play is only surpassed by not being able to defend same.💩
“That’s on me”. Nothing has changed. This article from 2021 could be re-written to match today’s team. Ill-prepared, scared, no basketball knowledge, poor player substitution patterns, poor free throw shooting, players not able to create shots off the dribble, dumb drives to the basket by a point guard with nowhere to go, no understanding of movement without the ball & proper screening. The list goes on & on.
Instead of re-writing it I’ll post it here because I’m lazy. Sorry, that’s on me.
https://www.yoursportsedge.com/2021/01/15/uk-basketball-thats-on-me/vaughts-views/larryvaught/
I’ve never seen a coach so capable of losing games the exact same way so many times without ever making a single adjustment.
When we lose in March it will look exactly like last night and will be the result of terrible coaching.
Izzo Put Cal’s coaching deficiencies on full display last night.
It was grown man coaching vs a toddler.
What grown man takes 2 overtimes to beat a toder?
Because he only has half the talent the toddler does.
If the talent was even Izzo would’ve ran Elmer Fudd off the court.
It would have been great to beat MSU, but they are badly under ranked, a tough experienced team. UK’s first hard game, individual players and the team as a whole are going through adjustments, and it took 2 overtimes to beat them. We have a lot of growth potential with this team! UK is going to have a good season. I may be concerned about the direction of our country, but I’m not concerned about the direction of UKBB! We need to relax, watch the growth and enjoy the ride! Less whining and making ourselves and others miserable.
W ell said
Larry
There was only one poster in our Danville dressing room.
"Excuses are for Failures"
That seems appropriate in this instance.
I realized everybody got there opinion and rightfully so, but i’m not going get on here and bellyache over this loss. This is a new team and a new season, This team will prove you guys wrong we just got too much upside on this team. Had we hit one or 2 free-throws the game would never have gone to the overtime begin with. but that’s part of the game. GO cats!!
Cal doesn’t make the players misses free throws or make them miss defense assignments. Cal shouldn’t blame himself on this one. Just mental mistakes by the players and i thought Big O was trying to do too much at times, he doesn’t have do it all like he did last year there’s just to much wealth on this team to spread.