John Calipari has a lot of work to do with this team. (UK Athletics Photo)
It’s not just the loss to Gonzaga that has Kentucky basketball fans upset. No, it’s the disturbing trend about John Calipari’s program that has fans not quite in a panic mode but definitely wondering about the program.
It’s not like Kentucky is going to miss the NCAA Tournament or have another 9-16 finish like it did two years ago. But numbers shared by UK statistician guru Corey Price after Sunday’s loss are hard to ignore.
— Kentucky is 10-16 against top 10 teams since the start of the 2015-16 season.
— Kentucky is 16-25 in road/neutral site games against top 25 teams in the Associated Press poll since the start of the 2015-16 season (Price also noted that former UK coach Tubby Smith was 23-23 in those games in his last seven seasons for comparison’s sake).
— Kentucky is 20-23 against non-conference Power Five opponents since the start of the 2015-16 season.
— For the first time in program history, Kentucky has two losses by nine points or more in November.
And for those hoping these early season setbacks to Michigan State and Gonzaga might help UK improve and still be ready to win a national title, Price pointed out that only two teams since 1985 (Louisville 1986 and Kansas 1988) have won the NCAA title after losing twice in November.
Calipari has only had one other team — that infamous 9-16 team two years ago — that lost two of its first five games. Calipari only lost two games in November one other time at UK — the 2012-13 NIT season that ended with a loss to Robert Morris.
What is so perplexing is that Calipari has been saying for months how this team has everything he wants and he said against after the 88-72 loss to Gonzaga that he wouldn’t trade his team even if the Cats looked very similar to the team that lost to Saint Peter’s in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
How could a team that got 15 rebounds from All-American Oscar Tshiebwe could get outrebounded 39-29. Even more puzzling is how Gonzaga outscored UK 44-24 in the paint. The Zags won despite having 18 turnovers.
Gonzaga had three players score 20 or more points and they combined to go 22 of 37 from the field. Two of Kentucky’s double-figure scorers — Jacob Toppin and Antonio Reeves — were a combined 11 of 31. UK’s two 3-point specialists — CJ Fredrick and Reeves — were a combined 3-for-13 from deep.
Even more concerning was Toppin talking about the team’s lack of fight and Calipari saying that he had to junk his offense the second half and go with dribble-drive only because Tshiebwe didn’t know the plays — something I don’t believe.
Calipari also said Gonzaga had no trouble imposing its will on UK and it looked like the Zags basically did whatever they wanted most of the game.
“I’ll just play different guys, whoever wants to fight. I’m going to play different guys. We got enough guys. I let those guys get in there and fight and understand, when you’re into your own head about how you’re playing instead of just playing for us, and we’re training every day about playing a certain way, play that way,” Calipari said.
Can Kentucky make its first Final Four since 2015? Sure. Remember UK’s 1998 national champion team got trounced at home on Valentine’s Day and then did not lose another game. The 2013-14 team got beat at South Carolina to end the regular season and lost a lot of games during the year but made the Final Four.
What Kentucky fans don’t want are more excuses. This team is not young — the starting five has senior Tshiebwe, Toppin, Fredrick and Sahvir Wheeler). The team played four exhibition games in the Bahamas to get a jump start on the season. For unknown reasons a problem with Tshiebwe’s knee was diagnosed in October and he needed “minor surgery” that has caused him to miss practice/games. But he’s averaged 21 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in the two losses.
Kentucky fans are just running out of patience with the basketball drama that is not producing championships and are tiring of waiting for next season to be the year.
Sure, it’s early and UK lost to two good teams. But watching UK lose to Saint Peter’s and then watching UK lose to Michigan State and Gonzaga had way too many similarities just like Calipari’s words continue to be the same.
Kentucky still seems to have a lot of good pieces but fitting them together is going to be a lot, lot harder than what it seemed like it would be this season.
14 Responses
That is interesting and stats certainly have significant meaning. Still I would argue it is not the number, or even game mistakes, that matters most, but rather the lack of intensity against the Zags. The MSU game, was factually close, 2 OT games are hard fought. That Zag environment must have shocked them and that threw them way off mentally. Then the Zags come out strong, hit them hard and keep hitting them, that combination was too much for them on that day. If that was the case, they better have learned that lesson, because opposing fan bases certainly will. Not that SEC fan bases are not pretty intense when UK comes to town, but I predict this year they will get ruder and test this! The SEC has several teams capable of coming out hard and pounding on you. If that is it UK better toughen up mentally, and it fast. If it was not that then there is something internal to this team that we are not seeing, but it may be hard to solve!
Bingo!
This has been my message for several years. Since the 2015 season ended with Calipari forfeiting the Wisconsin game by playing the Harrison Twins at the expense of better players riding the bench because it was "their team, and it is theirs to win or lose" is unmistakable.
That team was NOT the Harrison’s team. No UK team belongs to a player or players individually.
The UK teams are NOT Calipari’s private toys to tweak and twist as he may feel at any given moment.
These teams have always held a special place among the people of Kentucky because through the 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, the UK basketball program provided the people of this state a rare and special source of pride, and with that pride goes ownership. The UK basketball program has belonged to the people of this state since Adolph Rupp put it on the world stage and made each and every Kentuckian so proud.
This Kentucky pride is also reflected in the litany of Kentucky boys that have not just worn the uniform over the years but have been instrumental in the legacy of this once-great program. Calipari ridicules this tradition and the pride it engenders with his "players first" path to the NBA draft philosophy.
The people of Kentucky are the Big Blue Nation. That pride or ownership extends from the coal mines of Pike County to the Mississippi River bottomland in Wickliffe and every town, city, farm, industry, and residence in between.
Calipari pretends to know the people of Kentucky, but then he ridicules this basketball-based pride and ownership by calling us all Basketball Bennies.
He must go, the sooner the better. He must go before I die, otherwise, I will die with a broken Kentucky heart because I will know he is still destroying the pride of the Bluegrass.
It seems that many of Calipari’s teams since the 38-1 team have had this problem. Maybe it’s due to their being so highly rated as recruits that they develop an attitude of entitlement that in some way makes it uncool to break a sweat. It could be that the opposing teams get psyched to show them just how average they are. Coach often has "pets" that he makes excuses for when they get outplayed. His teams could be referred to as "the gentlemen of college basketball" instead of "the head busters of college basketball". They not only lack a "killer instinct", but seem to not want to embarrass anyone. Calipari has always been a "finesse" coach, where Izzo is a "rock ’em sock ’em coach". It could be that our kids are just disinterested in what they may or may not accomplish in their 1 or 2 years at KY. They just don’t seem to have the mentality of wanting to go beat someone’s brains out like so many teams have for a KY team. If you don’t fight fire with fire, you usually end up getting burned.
Let’s face it. The desirable lifespan for a Kentucky Basketball coach is about eight years. Once they hit the seven-year mark, the fan base grows impatient.
Joe B. Hall won a natty in year six but was in the NIT in year 7 and didn’t make it past the NCAA second round the next three years and the fan base grew impatient.
Eddie Sutton didn’t make it seven years.
Rick Pitino may be the exception to this. Natty in year seven and runner-up in year eight. I think the fans were satisfied with him when he left.
Tubby won a title in year one but failed to advance past the second round in three of his last four years.
It only seemed like Billy Clyde was here for seven years.
And now Cal. His seventh year was after the 38-1 squad. Two Elite Eights but a missed tourney and first-round NCAA exit.
Hall. Pitino, Tubby, and Cal are also one-NCAA title coaches. If they aren’t winning multiple titles, the seven-year itch for UK fans fits. But no one has had the talent that Cal has had. One title seems a bit underachieving. Since taking over at Kentucky, Jim Calhoun, Coach K, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino and Bill Self have added to their National Title resume. Jay Wright won two titles in that span. Those elite coaches got it done in the past 13 years
I’m sad AND mad that I fervently agree.
Sometimes ( and I’m guessing other readers feel the same way ) I don’t want to seem critical. “Wouldn’t want to hurt recruiting “
🥊💥 Oh yea, we always get the best recruits – must be something else ………………… ?
I have to say I agree not only with the article, but also with all the comments made. UK sports teams do belong to the people of this state. We’re the ones that make it possible.
Something is wrong. The source of pride for so many of us is embarrassing at times. It amazes me how much our teams struggle with the amount of talent we have. For several years I defended Calipari knowing his teams always took time to gel due to the turnover of players. But the last several seasons the teams just look lost at times. The only common denominator is coach. I’ll always praise him for his servant leadership message, but his end results on the floor leave me scratching my head.
I agree with everything being said however I think that coach Calipari should play in the tournaments like the Maui or in the Bahamas for good competitive early games before highly ranked teams. I’ve heard coach doesn’t like those but it can only help in my opinion. Besides BBN would love to take over those places again IT’S been so long !!!
Mike, I think Cal avoids them because he knows he will get outcoached. He doesn’t want to come back with a sixth place finish and 2 losses in November. His ballsy scheduling this year has produced the same result. I don’t think we are ready for the likes of Creighton or Arizona. I am not sure we are ready for Tennessee or Arkansas either. I do think we can put up 45 against Auburn though.
A very well written and thought provoking article, that doesn’t shy away from hard questions.
Like many others, I drank the KoolAid, thinking this team would be special and would be a real threat to win a national championship. Granted, it’s early, and this could still happen, but the excuses have worn very thin.
The same scenario of great expectations occurred with this year’s football team, and we all know how that has turned out. Lesson learned. Pre-season hype is just that. Easy smack talking before the kickoff or opening jump ball.
Just look at the picture above of this huddle with Coach telling them something here. Do these young men look like they are in to it? Maybe. A picture is worth a thousand words though. It is more like "what are you talking about Coach?" UK looked soft against the Zags, no fire, no game, no shot. Then Coach at his presser blames Big O for not knowing the plays and having to run dribble drive. A bad rap on a Kentucky basketball team. Sick of all these super stars that have no fire, just pedigree.
The last coach we had was Tubby Smith. If only he had Calipari to recruit…..
I seem to recall Jeff Shepard talking about several early season losses followed by the institution of 6 AM practices by Tubby Smith. Jeff said those early practices continued throughout the rest of the season and were instrumental in his team winning the 1998 National Championship! Folks, it’s way too early to start giving up on this year’s team!
Good memory Gary
Gary, the problem seems to be that the OAD kids don’t care about winning or losing; they are moving on to bigger things. The kids who did return this year will probably wish they had not. I’m sure Cal is aware of this and is tired of fighting it. I look for him to voluntarily move on to something else and let Barnhardt try to clean up the mess.