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Kentucky Basketball: Apples, Oranges and Coach Calipari

By Terry Brown

Feb 2, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Kentucky Wildcats during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 84 to 77. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2016; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Kentucky Wildcats during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 84 to 77. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Tuesday night, the University of Kentucky Wildcats lost to the Tennessee Volunteers 84-77, after leading by 21 points in the first half. After Saturday’s encouraging overtime loss to Kansas, losing in Knoxville in such a disheartening fashion can be discouraging. It seems that this current team is still trying to not only find its identity, but also some game to game consistently. This team is flawed, to be sure, but it can still be better than what we’ve seen in the six losses so far.

I still have faith that head coach John Calipari and his staff can right this ship. Even though the calendar has flipped to February, there is still time to get this team where it can be. In conversation, I always point to the 2011 and 2014 Kentucky teams as evidence that it’s never too late for Coach Cal to work his magic.

Obviously, every team is different. Every team has different challenges to overcome. I understand that the 2014 team had more individual talent than this team. The 2011 team had more consistent post play. The personnel comparisons don’t match up. I get that. But what cannot be overlooked is how bad those two teams looked before their memorable Final Four runs.
Obviously, every team is different. Every team has different challenges to overcome. I understand that the 2014 team had more individual talent than this team. The 2011 team had more consistent post play. The personnel comparisons don’t match up. I get that. But what cannot be overlooked is how bad those two teams looked before their memorable Final Four runs. /

On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, the Kentucky Wildcats lost to Arkansas 77-76 in overtime. It was Kentucky’s 6th SEC road loss of the season. It was the 6th game the Cats had lost by four points or less on the season. For whatever reason, John Calipari couldn’t get his teams to close out close games, particularly on the road. The team that followed up the John Wall/DeMarcus Cousins-led team looked like it wouldn’t be the one to break the UK’s Final Four drought.

On Saturday, March 1, 2014, Coach Cal took his Wildcats to Columbia, SC to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Even though the Cats lost 72-67, the game wasn’t ever really close. The Wildcats looked disorganized offensively and defensively. Calipari was ejected. And longtime John Calipari foil penned his infamous article about Coach Cal making his bed. A team that had showed promise early in a loss to Michigan State, had just laid a turd of a basketball game for everyone to see.

Comparing different teams is comparing apples to oranges. There are so many differences between players and other teams, there’s just to way to accurately compare. However, here is what we know. Coach Cal is as flexible as any coach in the country. No coach adapts his gameplan to his personnel. What we also know, as we look at Coach K and his Duke Blue Devils, it is extremely hard to turn over your roster ever year, yet Cal does it. The only constant between the 2011, 2014 and this year’s Wildcats? John Calipari.

I don’t know if these Tyler Ulis-led Wildcats will make the Final Four or the Elite Eight. I do know that this year college basketball is wide open. There aren’t any dominant teams. There are 30 teams (or more) with legitimate shots to put together 4 straight great games and reach the Final Four. Kentucky is one of those teams. I’m not sure how Calipari would do it, but there isn’t a coach in America I’d trust more to get this team there. Apples or oranges, Cal does the best with what he has.

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