When Kentucky got sent to Pittsburgh as the No. 3 seed in the South Region, it was a homecoming for John Calipari, Adou Thiero, and Tre Mitchell, but after the Oakland Golden Grizzlies upset the Wildcats 80-76, Big Blue Nation would prefer that Coach Cal stays home for good.
As a longtime Kentucky fan, I think I speak for all of #Wildcat nation when I say John Calipari needs to be fired and his $33M buyout paid in full.
— Deablo fan account (@DeferredWalkOn) March 22, 2024
Right now, all of our resources as an athletic department must go to getting rid of this terrible coach!
It’s now been five years since Kentucky got past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, granted one of those seasons, the tournament was canceled and another the Wildcats missed it altogether, but in three straight years, Calpari’s team has been bounced in the first two rounds. After Kentucky lost in the Final Four in 2015, the program has been on a downward trajectory, and now it’s spiraling.
It will be an embarrassment to the state of Kentucky, an embarrassment to the program, an embarrassment to the University Of Kentucky if John Vincent Calipari is the Head Coach of UK after this. It’s time
— Kentucky Gameday (@TheKYGameday) March 22, 2024
Kentucky fans are more than ready for a new era of Wildcats basketball. From the very start, this game was frustrating, as Calipari stubbornly started D.J. Wagner and Tre Mitchell instead of Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham. Sheppard struggled badly all night, but Calipari is absolutely to blame for the loss.
John Calipari gotta answer for this, I’m not saying he gotta get fired but something gotta shake. Idk what it is but this is BAD. Look at his recent tourney results. It’s UGLY
— hoodie qtip (@_swishh_3) March 22, 2024
What makes the recent March failures even worse is the types of teams they have come against. This season, Kentucky qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 61st time in school history, the most of any program in the country, yet the Wildcats have had their season ended by No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s, Kansas State, and now Oakland in consecutive seasons.
John Calipari: *exists*
— Nick Perkins (@NickyPerkss) March 22, 2024
Schools no one has heard of: pic.twitter.com/YkadF2Wbli
Calipari likely isn’t going anywhere because of his “lifetime contract” but the heat has gotten turned way up in Kentucky’s administration.
It’s time. Kentucky needs to fire John Calipari.
— Adam Spencer (@AdamSpencer4) March 22, 2024
Been saying this for 3 years now.
The Wildcats WILL NOT win another title until he’s gone.
We havent made it past the first weekend since 2019 💀💀💀 calipari is cooked i swear if that loser isn’t fired
— process blue (@PanthersGOAT) March 22, 2024
This will be an interesting offseason in Lexington, as Sheppard and Dillingham almost certainly head for the NBA, and Cal tries to pick up the pieces after another postseason disaster.