Kentucky Basketball: Who was that Wildcat team that dismantled Florida?

A show of solidarity before the game

Before the game tipped off the Kentucky players chose to kneel before the national anthem as one alongside the baseline as a show of solidarity to what had happened this week and over the past year.

After the game, Calipari said he had heard the players wanted to do it so he called the three leaders over Brooks, Sarr, and Jackson to find out why and their thoughts.

"“I said, ‘tell me why,’ and they said, ‘this is why,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ They said, ‘will you kneel with us,’ and I said, ‘do you want me to,’ and they said, ‘yes we do,’ and I said, ‘OK, I’ll kneel with you. These kids are good kids and they care about this country and all of the other stuff. They’re trying to figure out life and making statements they feel they have to make, and I want to listen to what they’re saying and then I’ll support them if they want me to be there. If they said, ‘we’re good by ourselves,’ I probably wouldn’t have been out there.”"

There is something about Kentucky coaches and relating to their players. We saw this with Mark Stoops and the football team over the summer and now with Calipari.

Brooks added to the reasoning as well.

"“I think the message pretty much stands for itself. We just came together as the leaders of the team—me, Davion and Olivier, and we decided this is something we wanted to do, to take a stand against what we’re seeing in the world today. We brought it to Coach and Coach was with us, and it was great to have the head man in charge backing you with whatever you do.”"

Kentucky hosts Alabama (9-3, 4-0)with sole possession of first place on the line Tuesday night in a 9 pm tipoff. What we wouldn’t do for 23,000 cheers in Rupp.