5 Things we learned about the Kentucky basketball team
By Drew Koch
After a roller coaster season, the Kentucky basketball team advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the 7th time in 9 years. What have we learned about the Wildcats thus far in the NCAA Tournament.
The Kentucky Wildcats are in familiar territory. UK advanced to their 7th Sweet Sixteen in 9 years. The Cats are in a very enviable position, having seen the top 4 seeds in the South Region bounced in the first weekend. So what 5 things have we learned about the Kentucky basketball team thus far in the NCAA Tournament.
1. John Calipari knows what he’s doing
The oft-criticized Kentucky basketball coach knows exactly what he’s doing. John Calipari came out before the NCAA Tournament to voice his displeasure with the selection committee’s seeding of his Wildcats.
Kentucky was the 5-seed in the South Region which included No. 1 overall-seed Virginia, the 2-seed Cincinnati Bearcats, SEC rival Tennessee and the Pac-12 Tournament Champion Arizona Wildcats. Calipari referred to the bracket as “murder’s row”.
Fast-forward to today, and in front of the Wildcats are No. 8 seed Kansas State, 7-seed Nevada and the Cinderella-darlings of the tournament 11-seed Loyola-Chicago. Now, while Big Blue Nation is licking their chops, and purchasing hotel reservations in San Antonio, Coach Cal is cautioning his young group of Wildcats to not be overconfident.
Forget the seeds. Everybody is 0-0 that’s moving forward and it's not about seeding; it's about who is playing the best. We are in a tough region. I'm looking forward to seeing @JVando today to see how far he's come along.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) March 19, 2018
John Calipari’s message to BBN, and no doubt his players, is that the NCAA Tournament is not about seeding, but rather who is playing their best basketball right now. The media has been overly critical of Calipari’s tactics, but they work. He knows exactly what he needs to do to motivate his squad.
Most players who have left the Kentucky basketball program make no bones about it; they loved playing for John Calipari. Cal has always touted his program as “players first”, and with the manner in which he’s stuck by players like Hamidou Diallo and Nick Richards, it would be tough to argue against it.