Calipari calls for ‘eye test,’ less dependence on numbers in NCAA Tournament seeding
After Kentucky lost to Tennessee on Saturday, John Calipari said that nine Southeastern Conference teams should receive bids to play in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Then he seemed to suggest a reason why that might not happen.
“I just wish they did some ‘eye test’ in judging teams,” the UK coach said of members of the NCAA selection committee. “Like watch (the teams play). Forget about the numbers. Do you know basketball? Watch the game.”
This echoed something said earlier this month by Mike Tranghese, a former Big East Conference commissioner who serves as a consultant for SEC basketball.
“It’s all numbers now,” said Tranghese, who was on the selection committee for five years. “… Back when I was chair …, it came down to basketball instincts. You’d see people play.”
Tranghese called for more “basketball people” on the selection committee.
“Because numbers may say X, but your eyes may tell you Y,” he said. “You need to find a balance, and I’m not sure that’s happening.”
Calipari said a two- or three-seed seemed possible for Kentucky before adding, “Who knows?” …
“My guess is it will be a very hard path (for Kentucky) because it always is,” he said.
The UK coach also called for the selection committee to return to using how a team plays in its last 10 games as a tool in the evaluation process.
Florida and Texas A&M were among the SEC teams Calipari touted as bid-worthy.
“The way you judge leagues is what’s their record in the NCAA Tournament,” Calipari said. “If half of the teams — (or) maybe three-quarters — (lose early), it kind of tells you maybe you weren’t what everybody said.”
Oscar update
Oscar Tshiebwe posted his 27th double-double this season. That tied him for the Division I lead with Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley.
Tshiebwe’s chances of passing Aimaq improved Wednesday when Utah Valley lost to Abilene Christian in the first round of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
That left Utah Valley with a 20-12 record.
Tshiebwe’s 11 rebounds against Tennessee brought his season’s total to 499. Only two UK players have ever had 500 or more rebounds in a season: Bill Spivey (567 in 1950-51) and Cliff Hagan (528 in 1951-52).
Happy anniversary
Thirty-nine years to the day, Kentucky and Tennessee staged a historic SEC Tournament game.
UK routed the Vols 101-40 in a second-round game on March 12, 1993. That remains the largest margin of victory in SEC Tournament history.
The tournament was played in Rupp Arena that year. Kentucky avenged a 78-77 loss at Tennessee on Feb. 24.
Like UK’s 2-for-20 three-point shooting Saturday, that game in 1993 had some eye-catching statistics. Tennessee made two of 21 three-point shots and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 6-to-30. Kentucky had 19 steals.
Kentucky also has the second-largest margin of victory in the SEC Tournament: 92-50 over Auburn in the second round of 1997.
Cuonzo saluted
After Tennessee won its quarterfinal game Friday, Rick Barnes was asked about Cuonzo Martin losing his job as coach for Missouri.
“I’ve got two adopted Black grandchildren,” the Tennessee coach said. “And I called him one day and said, help me through this. Tell me what I need to know as a grandfather. My daughter was having some issues that she wanted an answer to, and Cuonzo’s wife talked with my daughter, and so I look at him in a whole different light.
“I know this, if I were an A.D. somewhere, he would be the first guy I would want to go get him because I know him, and I know where his heart is in terms of the game of basketball. He has always done it right.”
Tampa or Nashville?
In terms of being the host city for the SEC Tournament, Tampa is exceptional. This is the only year from 2019 through possibly 2035 that the SEC Tournament will not be played in Nashville. The current contract has Nashville as the host city through 2030 with an option to extend that to 2035.
Barnes was asked what he thought of Tampa as the host.
“They’re doing a great job here, but, obviously, I’m partial to Nashville,” the Tennessee coach said. “I would always be partial to the state of Tennessee and what we have there, but since I’ve been here, we went to St. Louis (in 2018). They did a terrific job with the tournament. They’ve done it here.
“But if you are asking me, I would like to have it in Thompson-Boling Arena. The fact is, obviously, I always favor Nashville.”
This story was originally published March 12, 2022 at 8:55 PM.
