Vicky Graff Photo
Kentucky coach John Calipari has made it clear time after time that winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament is not high on his priority list.
He’s not going to have his team deliberately lose but he’s normally focused on the NCAA Tournament.
However, after another one-and-done outing at this year’s SEC tourney in Nashville, Calipari apologized to UK fans for how his team played in a 97-87 loss to Texas A&M Friday night.
“We got to stick together. I feel bad for our fans. This was Rupp Arena and we needed to give them more so they could stay and have a good time in Nashville,” Calipari said on his postgame radio show. “I feel bad for them that we did not perform better.”
He shared the same message in his postgame press conference after UK lost to Texas A&M for the second time this season. Both times UK gave up over 90 points — the only two times this season the Aggies reached 90 points.
“We got a lot of people that traveled, spent money. This is their opportunity to watch this team. But this tournament for us was about the seed. You got to win and you got to advance to improve your seed,” Calipari said.
“We had every chance. All that’s going around the country, we had our chance. But we had to go and play well today. You do know how many games my teams have won in this thing, championships? Like 16. We are playing to win. But we’re playing for a bigger picture, which is that seed.”
Kentucky, though, is 0-3 in its last three SEC tourney games and 1-5 in its last six. That’s disappointing for Kentucky fans, players and coaches.
“I felt for the fans. I said it to Tom (Leach) after on the radio. You want to win for them. They put everything into being here, all that. You want to win for them,” Calipari said.
“But our kids did, too. I told them, ‘When you walk in this arena, you’re going to think you’re in Rupp Arena.’ Let’s go play for ’em, have some fun, let them see who we are. Some of these people can’t get in Rupp Arena. Let’s go.”
The UK coach then explained that a team cannot always play well.
“Sometimes they do and you advance and you win. Sometimes they don’t. Especially young teams. We didn’t do it today,” Calipari said.
34 Responses
Should have fresh legs for tournament .
Down on the end of the bench sits a kid who isn’t Uber talented on offense by comparison to some others on the team but who has heart and guts and gets after it on defense and can’t see the floor. Jordan Burks..
I don’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth.
He definitely is full of BS
I agree whole heartedly shame on Calipari using the same youth excuse this late in March. He should encourage staying instead of kicking them prematurely out of the nest just to boost his ego.
Cal doesn’t feel bad for the “Bennies” he makes fun of.
He gets to go pet his dogs and watch Little House on the Prairie while making the exact same amount of money as if he won the SECT.
The only way UK will get back to winning championships is to show the fraud the door:
$187,500 @ week.
AMEN! I made the mistake of looking forward to the SEC tourney. Sorry for the fans that spent big $$$ to go to Nashville.
Cal continues to embarrass BBN. Has any coach ever lost so often with the talent he’s had in the last 8 years?
Hopes of getting through the first weekend with Cal coaching are slim – and that’s sad.
This is unacceptable.
Just read an article a day or two ago on bleacher report that listed the most over paid coaches and Calipari was at the top of the list.
This fraud has never cares about the fans or the program. He is driven by one factor, moving kids from high school to the NBA green room as quickly as possible, given the NBA rule that demands 1 year of separation from high school before gaining NBA draft eligibility.
This is a 1 year sentence to basketball purgatory for this kids, and Calipari only cares about filling that void so he can stamp his name onto as many of these young "talent" kids as he can, and somehow claim that his touch propelled these young kids to great riches.
If UK wins, loses, or draws is not relevant to this goal.
When enough fans realize this is what drives this fraud, perhaps enough pressure will force the UK Braintrust to fix it, and hopefully, that will occur before it is too late.
Not holding my breath hoping this will happen anytime soon.
Yes that’s what drives him and that has also made him rich. The parity in college basketball with the NIL and the transfer portal is exposing him as an average coach who gets most of his wins by letting the players do their thing. If this team can’t play defense any better than it did Friday this built for March statement by Calapari will be an embarrassment.
I think Cal knows he’s in hot water again and rightfully so. But will Barnhart have the nerve to pulled the plug on Cal. I doubtful it’s going to take our fan base to have a say enough is enough. We deserve better than this .
Cal can have the Louisville job.
That’s what Caliputo needs to say to Barnhart and Calipari…GO WEST YOU FRAUDS!!!
Oh, where is Jimmy? I guess we better put his Calipari azzkissing face on milk cartons AGAIN!!!
He’s a missing person that nobody is missing.
79, I hate us losing as much as you do. You are a loyal fan, but the Calipari haters bleed blue too. Thank you for saying what you just posted. That shows that you truly are a Kentucky lover.
Barry, what he said earlier this week about the SEC tournament doesn’t matter has lot of fans upset and now he wants to back track by saying he feels ba for the fans. He just blowing smoke
No fan base can bitch all they want but if boosters don’t buy in then it’ll continue to be dismay year after year
You got that right!;
Right now it doesn’t appear to bring as much to the table as earlier in the year. I’m curious as to no Bradshaw? Cals substitution patterns or starting line ups are purely puzzling. Reed Sheppard basically kept you in the game in the first half. Then he doesn’t see the floor till almost 5 minutes gone in the second half .. And then Sheppard passed up open looks down the stretch. What’s going on here?
Trey Mitchell
So now he says he is disappointed for the very people he said weren’t "real fans" earlier in the year???? Cal is great recruiter, he may be a great person with a heart of gold, but his coaching moves are as up and down as this team. With the way Burks scored the ball in HS, I often wonder what he could have done if given any type of opportunity to play with this team.
Maybe here’s an idea, buy a billboard, like free Big Z earlier this year. But it says Fire Big Cal, and put it down close to the UK president, so he can see it everyday on his way to work. We need a change at the helm.
Start a fund–and sign me up for a contribution to the billboard–i would love to make a donation–we cant afford to start a fund for his buyout–but we can damn sure all chip in on a billboard that reads "FREE BBN–FIRE CAL NOW"!!!!
Just a terrible defensive effort by a terrible defensive team, one that brings up several questions:
Could this be the worst defensive team in Kentucky basketball history?
Is the terrible defense the result of a lack of heart and pride by the players or a lack of preparation by the coaches?
When a team scores 97 points against in your first meeting, why would you defend them the same way when you play them again?
How can the players and coaches actually feel confident going into the NCAA tournament after giving up 97 points to one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC?
As long as Cal is the coach, will Kentucky ever return to the Final Four or even to being the best team in the SEC?
I know this is the weakest defensive team since at least 1997, and given Pitino’s defenses, probably since 1990. I think that this could be the weakest UK defense since Rupp’s arrival in 1930.
In terms of the last 25 years, last year’s defense was the worst since 1997, and this team’s defense is much worse than last year.
I have tried to understand why this is happening, but with the high annual player turnover, the player personnel is an unlikely explanation for these sharp declines in defensive efficiency from the baseline defensive qualities for the Calipari Era. The only constant is the head coach. Based on the baseline, I am satisfied that Calipari can coach good defense because his teams over the years have had good defense as a common factor.
So why not now?
It is not about the players, and any attempt to argue that it is the players is a deflection from Calipari. I expect Calipari to make that deflection if and when he is ever asked about these last 2 defenses as compared to his historical teams’ defenses.
Perhaps someone will ask him this.
Nah, on the other hand that is too much to hope for.
"JOHN CALIPARI FEELS BAD FOR UK FANS AFTER ANOTHER SEC TOURNAMENT FIZZLE"—-yea, sure he does. Wonder how many people actually believe that? If this was any other coach with the resume that he has had going back to the 2018 season, they would have been gone long ago. They wouldn’t have been kept long enough to be allowed to continue setting the new record-lows that have been set the last 3 years. This all goes back to Barnhart–when u give someone a lifetime contract, u essentially crown them KING and make them open to becoming GOD—and the ego is big enough that they are also going to publicly let the fan base know that they are KING! Imagine if Tubby had ever made comments like that. This man doesn’t know the meaning of humility or being grateful. He looks down on the fan base and the people in the state as a whole because he looks at everything through the political lens instead of just being a basketball coach. He doesn’t even LIKE the fan base or the tradition and history of the program itself for which he holds in his hand and represents. Everything that job is supposed to mean doesn’t mean anything to him. He has the same outlook as these spoiled, entitled kids today. He encourages that self-idolization way of thinking. He stresses individual over TEAM. and that shows up in results, and more so in March than any other time. And now it has shown up again–with a team that supposedly was "more like a classic old-school CAL team". This time of the year, it’s all about how well is your team gelled and how close are they chemistry-wise, are they willing to sacrifice themselves for the good of their teammates first, does competing in the tournament and trying to reach a Final 4 and win a championship mean anything to them at all? When is the last time u have heard anybody with this team talk about we are trying to win a championship or make a Final 4? The SEC TOURNAMENT is where that mentality is supposed to begin–that is your dress rehearsal for what is to come afterwards, it’s your last chance to work out any kinks u may have with your team, and to continue working on ur chemistry and for playing for each other–does this team look like they are having any fun? Do they even know what they are playing for? Do they even care? The one common thread with CAL’s old teams, pre-COVID, even with the years that they struggled offensively, the defensive end of the game was always there, and was something that carried them through many times when the offensive end wasn’t working. But more so than that, CAL’s best teams at KY–the 2010-2015 era–all of those teams were great defensive teams. That was always a staple and trademark of CAL’s best teams–and that goes back to Memphis and UMASS as well. CAL"s best teams always had great point guard play and elite big men who were rebounders and rim protectors, and this team doesn’t come close to any of that. This team really doesn’t have a true point guard, and that is not a recipe for winning in March, nor does this team have a true big man–they have nobody physical who can get inside, mix it up with the opposition, rebound the ball, and be an intimidating rim-stopper, and put some fear into the opposing team. This team has no dogs–like a Julius Randle–or a Towns, a Cousins, even a Willie–obviously Davis, that goes without saying……but if u look back at CAL’s best teams and see what their strengths were, and see the assets they had that made them successful, this team doesnt have any of that. It all starts with attitude, chemistry, mentality…….and last night’s loss to A&M was shades of two years ago against St Peters, and last year against Vandy–it was all shades of what the last 6 yrs have been for KY in March–A&M looked like the team that had all the strengths of CAL’s best teams, and lets see what they do in their first round NCAA tournament game–but this loss last night set the stage for another memorable historical exit from the NCAA Tournament by John Calipari at KY next weekend.
If the FRAUD has any pride and honor left, he will do the right thing and resign. When he came here, he said it was a 10 year job. Then he said he would leave after his son graduated. Does he have to completely destroy the program before the University steps in and stops him? Look at what happened to Indiana when they tolerated Knight for too long. We are fast becoming the next Indiana.
The FRAUD has been so thorough lying, deceiving, cheating UK fans from having the continued legendary BB program we were accustomed to… he has now graduated to a master CON.
His financial minion barnie has sold out UK to the fraud in one of their top con jobs in the history of UK BB. The fraud is paid mega-millions to NOT try to win because his only priority is to be the top agent transferring raw HS talent to the NBA after a year of being his pet.
All of those players in the NBA would have been drafted to make millions regardless of where they spent about 5 months putting in time waiting to be elgible to go pro.
Rise up BBN !!! Let your millions of voices be heard and demand removal of the FRAUD!
Thanks to the Professor for so properly labeling him the FRAUD! And many thanks to those who know and make known that UK BB has been sold by the useless AD to a pseudo-coach.
Go Big Blue!
Cal is a great recruiter. He is no coach. He has no interest in Ky or UK. He’s a tool for the NBA.
I grew up during the Rupp era. His style was “pound ‘em in the floor and send ‘em home crying”. I miss that. With our talent this year, he might have gone undefeated in the SEC.
Cal is most concerned for their ‘feelings’. He fields a team based on promises made to Mommas. Do not see his caring anything about the school or the people of Ky.
He has got to go….
Cali-fraudi says we need to "lock in". I would like to see him lock in to my fist plant on his face. I thought maybe time would allow me to cool off a little. It didn’t work. The stench he emits is almost overwhelming.
Love u guys–keep it coming! It’s nice to see others echoing the same feelings I have had for so long, but was shut down and labeled "this" and "that" by so many people all because I have the balls to speak out on the truth. Since the COVID season, Cali-fraudi has been completely exposed for what he is, it’s just that pre-COVID it was much more hidden because it was a different time and different rules were in place in the college game. Alot of these changes have unmasked the man behind the curtain in a way he never was before–he is a phony, and one of the slimiest con men, not only in college athletics, but in the country period. I KNOW a lot of our fans don’t even really understand the level of dirt he is on. But God Bless the ones who do! Kudos to the old time fans who were around for the Rupp and Hall days–that was before my time–but I was raised old school, and I’m as blue blood as they can come. And I know my Wildcat basketball history too. This has been a part of my entire family’s history. 5 generations have been cheering on the Big Blue. My days with the Cats began at the end of the Joe Hall era–after the Twin Towers had left and Sky Walker then emerged as my first Big Blue hero. But I envy u guys who were around for the great run in the 70s and on back into the Rupp era. I have read so many stories and heard so many more from my family. U all are the ones we need to hear from more right now. We are all what makes BBN what it is. And they can call u old or whatever else–hell with em. I know the game is never going to be the same going fwd as what we have all spent lifetimes watching–but it doesnt mean we don’t still bleed Blue and follow our CATS religiously–thats why BBN will always be KING–and not CAL! the difference between CAL and KING is KING has a K in it!!! CAL is spelled with a C–as in CON. KING is spelled with a K, as in KENTUCKY!!!!
and let’s start the fund for the billboard–we can’t afford to chip in on his buyout but we can all damn sure chip in to fund a billboard! BBN–instead of investing your money on tickets to Rupp Arena next year, save it to go in with us on a billboard that reads: FREE BBN–FIRE CAL NOW!!!!!!
I agree with 90% of the above – I think we’re jousting against windmills however.
Stanford head coach Jerod Haase announced his firing at his press conference following a Pac-12 Tournament game loss. He handled it with class.
"I have not won here to the level that I expect," Haase said. "Just like I hold my team accountable, I’m being held accountable, and I have no issue with that."
That is taking accountability. It’s time for John Calipari to do the honorable thing as well.