The Five Best Quotes from the John Calipari Show

#4: SEC – and CBB – is Completely Bonkers this year

Calipari had a lot to say when it came to the state of SEC basketball.

Of Kentucky’s performance against Alabama, Calipari said:

“All three games [during this three-game winning streak] we had a chance to lose, but we showed a will to win, which was great…. The last five games, it was 13 [three-pointers] per game. 13 makes. Look, what I keep saying, the reason that game is a great game, you’re going to play a team like that in the tournament. A team that takes 35 threes. We did a year ago. Who was it? Wofford. They had a guy that was making seven or eight a game, their team was making 12 or 13. You have to be ready for a game like that.”

Of the upcoming opponent, South Carolina, Cal stated:

“We’re about to play South Carolina coming up. Very physical, deny you the ball, you’ve got to work to get free, you’ve got to be strong with the ball. They collapse on defense. If you leave your feet, they take charges. There are a lot of teams in the NCAA Tournament that will play that way. It’s always nice to play a team that plays 40 minutes of zone, just so you know what’s coming and how you have to play when you’re playing to win [in the NCAA Tournament].”

“This team will also play a zone,” he said. “They’ll play a 1-2-2 kind of press. Frank [Martin] has got them doing a lot of different things. They can throw it in the post, they can run some high-lows.”

Of the SEC as a whole, Cal remarked:

“The games we play, it’s crazy, because you really don’t know. LSU has to throw a ball in at the buzzer to beat Mississippi State. Alabama beat Mississippi State by, what, 20? Now Florida goes and loses to Missouri by 20. Not a buzzer-beater game. This stuff is crazy. That’s why I’m only worried about my team. I saw some scores I was really stunned at, but I shouldn’t be.”