‘It gives me goosebumps.’ Kentucky fans show up in force at SEC Tournament.
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Game day: No. 5 Kentucky 77, Vanderbilt 71
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Friday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and Vanderbilt at the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla.
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The talk going into the Southeastern Conference Tournament had Auburn fans being the dominant presence. John Calipari was a disbeliever to the point of mockery.
“Are you out of your mind?” the Kentucky coach said of this expectation of Tampa being Auburn-further South. “What? Are you smoking crack?!”
During Kentucky’s 77-71 victory over Vanderbilt in Friday’s quarterfinals, cheers filled Amalie Arena. So did “Go Big Blue” chants.
In the postgame news conference, Sahvir Wheeler still hadn’t gotten over the boisterous fan support.
“It gives me goosebumps right now just having the support of the fans traveling with us,” he said. They make a difference, for sure.”
Calipari said the kind of fan support that makes Kentucky feel distinctive began at the team hotel. For safety reasons, police had to keep fans at a distance so the team could begin its trip to the arena, the UK coach said.
Upon arriving at the arena, it did not take long for the players to appreciate the fan turnout.
“It was crazy,” Wheeler said. “When we first got out there, everybody was just screaming. …
“Whenever I hear that ‘Go Big Blue’ chant, it’s so unreal.”
Calipari noted that fans at postseason sites include people who cannot get seats in Rupp Arena.
When it comes to willingness to travel long distances to cheer for Kentucky, Tampa could be seen as a relative walk across the street, he suggested.
“If we played in Montana, they would be there,” Calipari said. “I don’t know how they get there. I don’t know if it is a wagon train.”
Tennessee is next
Saturday’s semifinal against Tennessee will have a friend-against-friend component.
“You guys all know the respect I have for Rick Barnes,” he said of the Tennessee coach. “He’s a friend, a dear friend.”
Calipari noted the quick turnaround for a 3:30 p.m. game (approximately) Saturday.
Cal laments
Caliparti lamented Georgia and Missouri parting ways with coaches Tom Crean and Cuonzo Martin, respectively.
“He’s a terrific person,” he said of Martin. “He’s a terrific person. And he’ll get another job.”
Calipari cited the transfer portal as a factor in coaches getting fired. Crean lost four really good players, he said. That number includes Wheeler.
“If I was still at UMass, I wouldn’t recruit freshmen,” he said. “Because I would have them for one year, and someone would take them.”
Instant gratification that extends beyond athletics is a factor, Calipari said.
“We’re in a microwave society,” he said. “We need it now. Now!”
History I
Kentucky has won 31 SEC Tournament championships. The rest of the league teams have combined to win 29.
Kentucky is seeking to become the fifth three-seed to win the SEC Tournament since its revival in 1979. The four three-seeds who have are Alabama (1982 and 1991), Vanderbilt (2012) and Ole Miss (2013).
History II
The victory over Vanderbilt was the 24th SEC Tournament victory for Calipari-coached UK teams. That tied former Georgia and UK coach Tubby Smith for the third-most since the SEC Tournament was revived in 1979.
The top two in SEC Tournament victories in that time frame are former Florida coach Billy Donovan (27) and former Alabama coach Wimp Sanderson (25).
If Kentucky advances to Sunday, Calipari will tie Sanderson for the most championship game appearances since the event was renewed. Sanderson’s teams played in nine title games.
Honored (again)
Oscar Tshiebwe was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith College Player of the Year award on Friday.
He has already been named national player of the year by The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated. The coaches and media voted him SEC Player of the Year.
The recognition of Tshiebwe’s play this season also includes being a finalist for the Wooden Award, the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award and the Naismith Defensive Player of Year.
Homecoming games
The SEC Tournament is something of a homecoming for Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman. He said that nearby Sarasota was his father’s hometown. The family still have friends there.
“I was mad at Coach Cal because he drove down to Sarasota to see Dickie V,” Musselman playfully said in reference to ESPN analyst Dick Vitale. “And I didn’t get an invite. I told (Calipari), I could have made that drive blindfolded.”
Musselman also noted the warm weather.
“I got rehab on my shoulder today out by the pool for an hour,” he said. “That’s a lot better than getting rehab in a hotel room.”
SEC cheerleader
LSU Coach Will Wade ended his postgame news conference by promoting A&M and at least six other SEC teams as worthy of NCAA Tournament bids. He said Kentucky could be a 1-seed by winning the SEC Tournament, a 2-seed at worse.
Wade saw two or three SEC teams playing in the NIT.
“The league is good,” he said. “Everybody has good players. Everybody is a good coach. And the league is really, really tough.
“How about that? Go SEC.”
