Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari promised tweaks in the Wildcats' defensive schemes entering March Madness. He didn’t deliver.
Calipari expressed his disappointment in the upset, highlighting that some players didn't perform at their usual level. He mentioned to Evan Washburn of CBS, “We had some guys that didn’t play the way they’ve been playing all year,” he said.
“We did everything we could. We knew the zone would be tough but we missed shots we don’t miss. The preparation, I thought they were in a great — trying to keep ’em loose. But when the game started, they just — you had some guys not play to the level they can play,” Calipari continued
"They shouldn't be and our team and our season, defined by that game, but it will be. … This one is painful. … This team, I really felt was built for this moment, even though we were young."
—Kentucky head coach John Calipari joins @EvanWashburn pic.twitter.com/CWlrvf17wr
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 22, 2024
The Jack Gohlke and the Golden Grizzlies show
Oakland basketball guard Jack Gohlke lit up the Wildcats, sinking 10 3-pointers as the 14th-seeded Golden Grizzlies pulled off what might be the first major upset in this year's March Madness, defeating the third-seeded Kentucky 80-76 in a thrilling first-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.
The graduate transfer Gohlke fueled the Golden Grizzlies with 32 points, showcasing some late shot-making prowess alongside his teammates, Trey Townsend who contributed 17 points for the Horizon League champions, while DQ Cole chipped in with 12 points, including a crucial 3-pointer from the corner with 28 seconds remaining, extending Oakland’s cushion to a more comfortable four points.
Antonio Reeves led the way for Kentucky with 27 points, while Tre Mitchell contributed 14 points, and Rob Dillingham added 10. Despite having a roster filled with NBA prospects, the Wildcats struggled throughout the night to contain Gohlke and the gritty Oakland squad.
Another disappointing run for John Calipari
The Wildcats were expected to dominate tonight's game against the lower seeded Oakland, being a 13.5-point favorite. However, it became clear from the start that Calipari and his team were in for a dogfight.
Calipari expressed that his responsibility is to relieve the pressure from his young roster's shoulders and bear it himself. At times, especially while Gohlke and the Bulldogs kept within shouting distance with the second-highest-scoring team in the country, that burden must have felt incredibly heavy.
The loss to Oakland concludes Kentucky's season with a 23-10 overall record. Calipari emphasized that unlike the Wildcats' other nine losses, Thursday night's defeat was particularly difficult to digest, “And the reason is there are other times you lose a game and you know your team is what it is. But this team, I really felt, was built for this moment,” Calipari noted.
“Even though we were young, I knew that could catch us. But we had our chances. We threw the ball away, took a bad shot. There were things that happened, and then we give up a corner three the last play,” he continued.
Tamed Wildcats
Since signing a lifetime contract at Kentucky in 2019, Calipari has secured just one tournament victory and missed the field of 68 altogether in 2021.
The Wildcats have been eliminated before reaching the Sweet 16 in the past two years and haven't reached an Elite Eight since the 2018-19 season.
Calipari reflected on what happened when he said the team's “built for March,” noting, “We made some critical mistakes at critical times today. When you have a really young team and look at where did the mistakes come from, they were freshmen.”
https://t.co/TjOD1gwnDh pic.twitter.com/QxWV5Rt11V
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 22, 2024
Kentucky boasted a perfect 19-0 record against 14 seeds or lower in the NCAA Tournament before 2022. However, the recent track record shows a different story, with Kentucky now standing at 0-2 in such matchups.
After tonight's defeat to Oakland, Kentucky, under Calipari's leadership, has only secured one NCAA Tournament victory in the last four years. Adding to the concerning trend, The Wildcats are now 1-4 in its last five NCAA Tournament games, marking one of the program's worst-ever five-game stretches.
This performance matches their previous 1-4 records from 1961-1964 and 1970-1972.
Is it time to say goodbye to John Calipari?
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