On Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats return to the scene of heartbreak and frustration
Talking in late September about the college basketball season that was just around the corner, Oscar Tshiebwe mentioned a link between Kentucky’s recent past and the Wildcats’ immediate future.
The team’s last game at that point had been the NCAA Tournament stunner — a loss to 15-seeded Saint Peter’s in the first round of what was expected to be a long March Madness run.
The first big game on UK’s upcoming 2022-23 schedule was already set for Nov. 15 — the Champions Classic against Michigan State.
The venue for both games: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Nobody had to tell college basketball’s reigning national player of the year of that fact. He already knew. And he brought up the subject himself.
“When I walk in that building, I’ll have a vision in my head,” Tshiebwe said in September, the return to Indy still nearly two months in his future. “It’s going to be a battle in that building. I’m not saying we’re going to win or lose — I don’t know. But I’m not accepting losing anymore in my life. I hate losing so bad.”
And then a pause, followed by a quick reflection on what had happened in that building six months earlier.
“I wanted to win that game so bad,” Tshiebwe finished.
When the Cats step back onto the Gainbridge Fieldhouse court, it’ll have been 243 days since that shocking March night when an otherwise outstanding season came crumbling down.
Kentucky’s players and coaches have turned the page. But it’s clear the specter of Saint Peter’s continues to hang over this program.
At the Southeastern Conference’s media day last month, a reporter from outside the commonwealth asked UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler about moving on from that night.
“I’m over it,” he shot back, a let’s-change-the-subject smile on his face. “The only time I talk about it is when you guys ask it. I’m just ready for y’all to get over it.”
A few minutes earlier, John Calipari was standing at the SEC podium and talking about it.
“I really didn’t think someone would ask me the question about Saint Peter’s,” he said, seemingly genuine in his surprise.
Get used to it.
The preseason was filled with Saint Peter’s references, from national publications mentioning it in their 2022-23 previews to questions like those posed to Wheeler and Calipari.
Wheeler went on to call the loss a learning experience. There were good things and bad to take away from that night — the first NCAA Tournament game for everyone on Kentucky’s team — said the Cats’ starting point guard.
Calipari acknowledged that college basketball teams are judged by what they do in the postseason. Especially at Kentucky. He also noted the anything-can-happen nature of the NCAA Tournament. “It’s a one-game shot,” he said.
At UK’s media day the following week, the question was still in the air. What could Calipari do to make sure an early loss to a huge underdog like Saint Peter’s never happened again?
Well, nothing. Obviously.
“How are you going to guarantee it doesn’t happen again?” he said. “I’m not going to guarantee it. I can’t guarantee it. I won’t guarantee it. I will tell you, we have a great group of guys who are great teammates that pick each other up — that challenge each other. And let me say this: that gives you a chance.”
Calipari has said repeatedly that his biggest concern in the immediate aftermath of the Saint Peter’s game was making sure his players were mentally able to process and get past the shocking end to their season.
“The kids got crushed,” he said. “I was worried with them going in a dark place. … So for me it was more, ‘OK, how do I get these guys right?’ And then you use it as fuel.”
And that was the next step.
“For me, Saint Peter’s — it motivated me,” Tshiebwe said. “Now, in life, no matter who you’re going against, it don’t matter. Big? Little? Anybody can beat you. You don’t know what strength they come with. David was little. But he defeated the giant. So you always have to be ready.
“Don’t just say, ‘Because he’s little, I’m gonna beat him.’ Saint Peter’s — that was a life lesson for many people. If you take it easy, you can go home like we did. This year, it’s not gonna happen. It’s not gonna happen.”
Only three players on this Kentucky team — Tshiebwe, Wheeler and Jacob Toppin — played substantial minutes in the Saint Peter’s game. The coach on the winning side — Shaheen Holloway — has since departed to lead Seton Hall’s program. Pretty much every player on that Peacocks’ team has moved on, too.
Talk of the game is sure to remain, however.
Even if they say they’ve moved past it, the Cats won’t be able to escape the feeling of returning to the site of the stunning upset Tuesday night. No matter how well they play in the regular season, those Saint Peter’s questions are sure to flare up again come tournament time.
For those Kentucky players who were there for that night and returned for another run, maybe those constant reminders will be a good thing.
“It was motivation. That helped us a lot. We let that go, but we learned from that,” Tshiebwe said. “Anybody can beat you, if you’re not really focused. This year, any game — no matter who we play against — is a big game for us.”
Next game
No. 4 Kentucky vs. Michigan State
What: Champions Classic
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
