'I don't believe it's over': John Calipari still optimistic despite Kentucky's 1-6 start
You thought five losses in a row was bad?
How about a six-game losing streak when the most recent defeat came at the hands of your archrival? And what if that loss came in the same way so many of the others have with late-game miscues throwing away a chance to build some positive momentum?
That’s the situation the Kentucky men's basketball team finds itself in after a 62-59 loss to Louisville, dropping its season record to 1-6.
“Everybody is going to say it’s over,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said after the game. “OK, I don’t believe it’s over. We haven’t played a league game yet, so I don’t believe it’s over. Let’s go do what we do, let’s keep coaching them. Our true fans, the fans that are really with these kids, keep cheering them on. You think they want to play like they’re playing, keep losing games like this? You’re crazy. They want to win every game, and they want to win it for you.
“I’m not budging, I’m not cracking. I’m hacked off, now. I’m not happy that we’re losing. You guys know me well enough, but I’ve got to worry about this team and where they are and where can I take them more than my ego about winning the game.”
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Where does Kentucky go from here?
NCAA Tournament hopes could hinge on SEC’s automatic bid
Counting a Calipari-coached UK team out of making a run before the new year seems silly based on recent history, but with Southeastern Conference play starting next week, Kentucky may have already dug too deep a hole to feel confident in earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Just two SEC teams were ranked in the most recent Paste BN Coaches Poll, offering few chances for resume-building victories in conference play. An SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup with No. 10 Texas still looms in January, but nothing about Kentucky’s play so far suggests the Wildcats will be ready to compete with a team of that caliber in just a month.
The struggles of the rest of the SEC at least make it plausible that Kentucky will win at least seven more times than it loses in its remaining games, thereby earning the .500 record needed to be eligible for an at-large bid, but anything short of a top-two finish in the SEC might not be enough to make a convincing case to the selection committee.
Does anyone really think this Kentucky team is capable of that kind of run?
“We have a chance to paint our own picture,” Calipari said. “We do, and what do we want to do? Where is the leadership on this team right now with a loss like that? We had our chances to win, just like Notre Dame, just like North Carolina, just like Kansas. We’ve had our chances, and we dropped them all.”
Calipari is correct that Kentucky’s play has improved over the last three games, but there is still much work to do before the Wildcats look like a tournament team.
“Our backs are on the wall, but that just makes us hungrier,” sophomore forward Jacob Toppin said. “We just want to get a win and once we get that first taste of a victory, I think we’ll be good.”