Vicky Graff Photo
John Calipari has at least some of his swag back after Kentucky pounded Vanderbilt 109-77 Tuesday night.
He praised 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic who went 5-for-7 from the field, scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds (six on offense) and blocked one shot in only 12 minutes before fouling out.
“Z was really good. If that is who he is, we could have a difference maker,” Calipari said.
Of course later on the UK Radio Network he correctly noted that Ivisic got pushed around a few times and has to play smarter and tougher on defense.
“I just told him to play like you are playing against men over in Croatia,” Calipari said.
He could not help but celebrate the play of Jordan Burks who had 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting and five rebounds.
“I have been saying wait until you see him and then you will wonder why he isn’t playing,” Calipari told Tom Leach.
He also said he has 11 players, including Burks, who can be contributors when everyone is healthy.
“I just said I will play everybody in the first half and then seven or eight in the second half,” Calipari said. “If you are not really into it, I may play someone else. You may not believe this but I can’t play eight games at one time. I can only play five.”
Kentucky’s defense was better overall as it finally held another team under 80 points.
“What did we do on defense? If you watched, you saw what we did,” Calipari said.
He didn’t explain on his radio show what his changes were even though he did acknowledge how bad UK had been defending out of bounds plays under the opposing team’s basket by playing a zone defense — something he almost never does — on out of bounds plays. Vanderbilt did not score on an out of bounds play.
Calipari did not do his postgame radio show at Rupp Arena after the Tennessee loss Saturday. The Cats had a big contingent of UK fans in Nashville and Calipari praised them on the postgame show.
“I want to thank all our fans. It is unbelievable our real fans come and how they cheer this team,” Calipari said. “They (the fans at the game) are about basketball and winning. Anybody saying anything other than the upside of this team …”
Kentucky is now 16-6 overall, ranked 17th in the latest AP rankings and 6-4 in SEC play. Alabama is 8-1, South Carolina 8-2 after a Tuesday night win over Ole Miss, Auburn 7-2 and Tennessee 6-2.
The Cats know beating Vanderbilt does not guarantee being able to win at Auburn, Tennessee or Mississippi State. It does not even guarantee a win over Gonzaga at Rupp Arena Saturday because UK has already lost three home games.
Calipari isn’t worried about any of that. He just wants his team to get better defensively and then see what happens.
“I am not trading this team for any team. I believe in them,” Calipari said. “We have a lot of weapons. We have a lot of playmakers. Will we get better defensively? For the rest of the year 70 percent of the emphasis will be on defense.”
It should be and needs to be with the way UK has played this year. However, it’s good to see Calipari back talking a little smack and giving both his players and UK fans a needed dose of confidence.
40 Responses
I’ve seen this "Swag" show before. I know how it ends.
Well, the offense hit on all cylinders last night, but a highly efficient offense simply masks over this team’s pitiful defense.
Last night, this team allowed a weak Vandy team to score 77 points on only 75 possessions, and that is over 1 point per possession, which is above the D1 national average, and well above the defensive efficiency that championship quality teams play, allowing less than 0.9 points per possession, and Calipari’s own best defensive teams performed at an efficiency closer to 0.8 ppp than 0.9 ppp.
So, a 30 point blow out of a weakling is fun to watch, it changes nothing about this team’s defensive woes.
Let the fraud swag!!! He is still a fraud.
I am sure many of us know how transparent the swag veneer is on the Califraudi. It was a fun game to watch and many good performances, and my POG is Mr. Burks..very happy for him to take advantage of extra time given. It was also nice that Mr. Edwards was able to find some offensive success, but he also had 0 rebounds in 20 mins. played. We did a little better with rim protection but still too many points inside. Defending the 3 also continues to be very problematic as we allowed them 11 makes. I was disappointed that we were not able to break above 20 pts until last 5-6 mins. Shep had 4 turnovers which is too many for someone that many have targeted as OND?? He seemed to be moving the ball better and with more confidence earlier in the year.
Yeah, the fraud actually did his post game show last night.
I’ve been saying after every SEC game play Burks over Thiero and Edwards. Edwards actually played his best game in a Kentucky uniform. But if Burks was given the opportunity more he would make more of a impact. I’m glad he finally got the minutes he deserves. Think about this he was on the same team as Dillingham and led the team in scoring that tells you enough right there. The guy is good on offense and defense and has a high motor unlike Edwards. But I’m happy for the whole team now let’s go full steam ahead against Gonzaga. Go Cats
Go Cats and Coach Calipari!
Agree with you T.W. My opinion (for what it’s worth, which isn’t much) is that Burks should have
been playing more? He is a good ball player. Too good to spend so much on the bench when others
just haven’t been producing.
I liked how Cal said that the "real" fans are bringing it every game and the team needs it. More than one player has commented how they are trying to "block out the noise". A nice way of saying they are trying not to hear the Whiners. GO CATS!!!
Us whiners have been there and bringing it. Cal has GOT to start sitting guys down that aren’t getting the job done. If he’ll do it to JE we probably would see a out of this world breakout game. We have to have him.
Jimmy! Jimmy!! Where have you been hiding? I guess your cheerleading dress needed some alterations after Florida and Tennessee beat all of the hot air out of it. Maybe you were just following chicken Calipari’s lead and chose not to face the music…what a coward! We beat a bottom of the league team and here you come crowing again. That noise that you are squealing about is coming from tens of thousands in BBN. It’s time for you and the fraud to find a new home.
I bet you two make your families proud by being negative chronic crybabies.
When we get rid of the fraud, we won’t forget who the Calipari lovers are.
Cal may be around longer than you Barry.
Jimmy! Jimmy!! I look for the fraud to leave after another humiliating season, then who are you going to suck up to? It’s rah rahs like you who have allowed Calipari to run our proud program into the ground. It’s not too late to avoid becoming the next Indiana but Calipari must go to avoid that. As far as I’m concerned, he can take his brown nosers like you with him.
We need a Kentucky player to be our next coach. He will only recruit in Kentucky and its border states; Georgia and North Carolina could be added to that list. Forget the OAD punks and the transfer portal kids who are chasing NIL money. Recruit kids who want an education and want to play for Kentucky. If they aren’t going to stay at least 3 years, then don’t come here. Find kids with solid fundamentals who rebound and defend, kids with some muscles who aren’t afraid to mix it up. Kids who play team ball and want to win SEC titles and compete for NCAA titles. Kids who want to make Kentucky the gold standard of college basketball again. Calipari doesn’t recruit these kind of kids for the most part. Shepard will be back next year with Travis Perry coming in. Thiero will be back as will Burks. Onyenso should come back for another year to bulk up and improve his offense. Quaintance and Cyril would probably come to UK even if Calipari leaves. That would be a pretty good nucleus to coach from Day 1 and be competitive. I see Edwards and Wagner going to the G league or Europe.
Dwane Casey and Mark Pope would be the first two guys to consider for the job. Maybe Scott Padgett and Travis Ford could be considered as assistants. Mark Pope would be my pick of the bunch.
Barry so contrary that’s how blind you are. All those kids don’t exist anymore. Sheppard won’t be back. Cal will be back. If a Ky coach recruited like you wanted, we would have Louisville’s team right now. Sheppard would be in Virginia right now without Cal. Next years class won’t be here without Cal. People like you are whiney narcissists with no clue.
Yea, with the "real" way CAL treats the fans, he sure as hell oughta be thanking them for traveling ANYWHERE to see his team–even to the home arena. They are "real" fans alright–when they continue to support somebody who treats them the way he does, yes they are "real" fans. Just like a true fraud, he can come out and toast drinks all around when it’s all good, but can’t come out and show his face when things are difficult. Then u wonder why some ppl don’t have respect for him. He is so damn lucky to even still receive the fan following he does with everything he has dished out to this fan base over the years. Yes, it was a fun game, and good performance, but this game does NOTHING to change the realities that exist with this team and with the program that is run by the man behind the curtain. Him making that comment "real fan" should tell anyone without blinders on what he’s all about–in other words, if u dont bow down to me and smother me with kisses and tell me how great I am, even when im disrespecting u and being a jacka** to ur base, and if u don’t say anything that isn’t positive Abt my team, then your not a "real" fan, and we don’t want u. The man has got serious nerve, I’ll give him that. He gets those little cracks and digs in when he can, he takes those opportunities, even though, remember, he "doesnt listen to any of the noise or the clutter"! It’s amazing as many people still blindly support him the way they do–but that’s the reason he is still around and the reason that he will be for as long as he wants. And if he wants to debate about what makes a "real" fan, I would be glad to take him on on that. A "real" fan cares about UK and the bball program first and foremost, and never believes in putting any one man above the program as a whole or making any individual bigger or greater than the program. And a "real" fan has the gnards to call things out the way they truly are, good or bad, and is not swayed by influence and does not worry about what other people are going to say in response. Sure it was a good performance, and a fun game, and the guys played well–but just remember who it was against. And let’s see that same kind of fight and effort this Sat against Gonzaga, and in all the remaining games! And even half that effort wins both of the two previous games that blew your reg season all to hell. Let’s see that done against somebody without a 6-15 record. Just trying to bring some perspective. We can support the team and cheer for the guys all we want, but CAL doesn’t deserve any respect from us, because he hasn’t earned it–and he doesn’t show any to us.
Nobody cheers louder than me. I’m up there with the real fans in the upper deck EVERY game
I suspect you’ve been like your hero and hiding in the basement and drinking Kool aid
Nothing like beating up on lesser thans. Cal would play Transy 10 times if he could.
That’s true goose. I enjoyed scoring 30+ points a game against weak teams. But, when I ran up on the 1983 Carlisle County Comets it was whole different story. I worked my a#÷ off to score 6.
Google them and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
We need to grow up and be men and beat Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee
Cal needs to keep his mouth shut about who are real fans and who are not. I have been following UK Basketball many, many more years than he has and when he leaves, he will not be "a real fan" of UK Basketball. His support of UK is ONLY based on a paycheck, nothing more, nothing less. Cut his paycheck and see how long he supports UK.
Beating Vandy is not a good indicator of much of anything. Vandy hit a lot more threes than they should have because UK does not run them off the line.
Maybe the defense will improve, but this is not a game to use as a measuring stick.
Exactly
Hey Old fan. Did you see Pete Marivich play? I would give anything!! to have seen him.
I saw Pistol Pete once or twice when he was in college. We didn’t have a TV so we listened to Cawood. Only saw any game on TV when we went to my grandparents. When we did get a TV we lived so far out you could only make things out on a good weather day. I was about 18 when we finally got a good outdoor antenna.
Old fan is a "real" fan.
Maravich was so much fun to watch
Here’s a interesting stats about Gonzaga there 5th in the nation shooting 50.5 percent a game, 15th on defense the opposing team shooting only 39.5% and 15th in rebound margin 8.4. Also there 18-11 all time against SEC opponents. Cats got there hands full.
They’re good on defense and rebounding. 2 things we’re terrible at.
They are built like South Carolina and play like South Carolina. They love playing sissy boys.
Hey Barry–did u catch how your boy said he bets CAL will be around longer than u will? LOL therein lies the entire problem with the blind sheep CAL followers: they truly believe he is bigger than the program, and they put him above BBN as a whole–its ppl like this guy that is so brainwashed he doesn’t realize BBN has been around for 121 years, and will continue to be until the end of time, long after CAL is in the ground. And like the other guy said, when CAL’s time does come, u will find out real quick what his affection for KY bball is. If it were to be retirement from here, u think he will ever come back to any games at some point just to support and cheer on the future teams because he loved it here? Something like Joe B Hall used to do. U will find out real quick how much UK CAL has in his blood. LOL I would bet my life right now that if it’s retirement, he won’t be seen, heard from or in contact with here again. it will feel like he was never here to begin with. I would love for CAL to reveal how he "really" feels about us, just so the blind followers could hear that. They would blame whatever he had to say on guys like us tho–LOL!!! ITS ALL OUR FAULT!!! how dare we say something like "one blowout win against a 6-15 Vandy team and all is supposed to be ok again!!!" LOL. how dare we be objective Abt the team and the season rather than just bow down and kiss the KING’s royal highness?
Barry don’t call out our players sissy, no room for that. There just humans like we are and no one is perfect that you like it to be. Geeze
79, you must be Jimmy’s inbred brother. Go back and read that post. I said they love playing sissy boys. I did not call anyone sissys, YOU DID! You and Jimmy need to engage your brain before you open your big mouth!
Speak to the fact it’s the same you calling somebody sissy, Still no room for it.
Even if this isn’t a highly touted Gonzaga team it will be fundamentally sound
Vandy still put up nearly 80 pts.
Risers & Fallers…not even finished in sec play..And Sheppards d is not the problem. It’s on ball guard defense which makes up the entire guard core. Does the new offensive coach how any a clue about defense?
Gonzaga and UK have nearly identical adjusted net efficiencies. UK will enter the game favored by less than the Home Court Advantage.
Gonzaga has a better defensive efficiency and UK has a better offensive efficiency.
UK by 3 is my assessment.
Hope you are right Professor on final score
I do too Larry.