Here’s everything John Calipari said after Kentucky basketball upset Tennessee

Has Kentucky men’s basketball saved its 2022-23 season?

A larger sample size of consistent performances will be needed, but the Wildcats took a big step in that direction on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.

Kentucky scored a surprising upset win over No. 5 Tennessee, 63-56, behind another double-double from Oscar Tshiebwe and a team-best 18 points from Antonio Reeves.

The victory came after a week of turmoil surrounding the program and head coach John Calipari, and it marks UK’s first road win in SEC play over a top-5 ranked opponent since 2003 (at Florida).

It was also Kentucky’s first road win ever against a top-5 ranked team while the Wildcats were unranked.

Additionally, the win snapped a 25-game home winning streak for Tennessee, and it was Kentucky’s first road win of the season.

Safe to say, it was a historic victory for the Cats, and one that might rescue this season, and Calipari had plenty to say about it afterward.

Here’s everything that Calipari said following Kentucky’s stunning upset win at Tennessee:

Opening statement: This game, you could tell from the beginning of the game, both coaches made it a slugfest. Let’s go. You gonna back down? And neither team backed down.

Antonio was the most impactful player, did great. Cason (Wallace) was hurt. Sahvir (Wheeler)’s hurt. Daimion (Collins)’s hurt. We had Adou (Thier) at point guard, we had CJ (Fredrick) at point guard. But, I mean, you think about Chris (Livingston), how he played, Lance (Ware) when he went in and how he played.

But at the end of the game, I just said, look, one of you is going to have to make a play, maybe defensive, maybe rebounding, I can’t tell you. But they’re starting to make plays, now you’ve got to make a play. And the free throws at the end, that has been our Achilles’ heel, but this was a great road win.

Question about how Calipari has approached this week.

Dr. Capilouto was with us. He was in the shootaround with us. He was in the meals with us. And I was so happy he wanted to come and I wanted him absolutely immersed so he can see what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it.

You know, these players did that for themselves and the fans that have stood by them. They just did it for them. I’m saying I’m happy for Dr. Capilouto, Mitch, Dr. Todd, the guys who brought me here. I’m happy for them...

Look, I told you I haven’t lost any faith in these guys, I’ve done this a long time. All you that are shooting arrows and bullets, I’ve got bazooka holes in my body. They go right through... So it is what it is. You could be mad, happy, sad. I’ve got a good team...

I’m not making excuses. Oscar was out four weeks, almost five weeks. You had injuries that, Jacob was out games. You had injuries. Now Sahvir’s out and we’re just trying to patch it together. But here’s what happened today. We defended and fought like my teams normally do. We hadn’t been that to this point.

They made a commitment to each other that they would fight this game and it was between them. I wasn’t in a couple of the meetings they had. So happy for Jacob, did some good stuff, missed some plays down the stretch, a free throw and all that and I said ‘Are you okay?’ Because what’s happened to this team is guys are so engaged in their game, if they’re not playing well, they can’t play for us. Because... they’re not thinking about us. Today, every guy was locked in and focused on us.

Question about the weight of the world being lifted off Kentucky with this win.

Off them, and I was doing everything I can. I was trying to put it all on my shoulders, but I know when you’re at Kentucky, you know, it’s, how many times (have I said) this isn’t for everybody. It’s not for every coach. You got to understand we got fans that are engaged and they’re raging fans. And when it’s good they are raging.

I remember when we won a national title we had people on the street in a nursing home out waving to the bus with walkers. What? I’m looking around like what is this? So yes, and then when it goes bad it’s something. But again you don’t know who’s on social media. My guess too is a lot of fans from other programs are hoping we die, and they shut that TV off today (and) they are so mad.

Question about matchup between Oscar Tshiebwe and Uros Plavsic and how valuable it is to have Oscar for a matchup like this.

Well, both of them played well. I mean, I didn’t look at the numbers right now... they both played well. But the biggest thing for us, we came in saying low turnovers because they break out and you gotta outrebound them: If you don’t out-rebound them you’re not winning. The games they lost they got out-rebounded...

The second thing we did, we had to make a choice: Do we let big boy go and score baskets or do we try to trap and give up? We made a choice and at one point I almost went back and the staff went crazy ‘Don’t you dare!’ They can beat us at the three, they can’t make enough twos. And so we let them have their way in there. They did.. he made like seven in a row. I was sitting there watching it and saying ‘I can’t take this,’ but we were still up.

Question about being able to recover from an early deficit today compared to other times in SEC play.

Let me just say this, would you please go look at those starts. We had wide open shots and missed them. What did we have today? Wide open shots and missed them. Now, you could say well they’re not ready. I don’t know. They’re not machines and they’re not robots.

But if you’re running good stuff and a guy’s wide open and misses and then misses again and they get a breakout layup and a three you’re gonna be down 8-0. And that’s why I walked in the first timeout said ‘We’re fine. We got great looks, just start knocking them down.’ I just want to be here for this group, help them write their own story, not the other stories. Trying to keep them feeding the positive. Forget about the negative.

I got a couple of guys I know who are looking at the Internet and I want to strangle them. Why? Yes, some of them are fans of ours, but they’re not fans of basketball. Or they’re not fans of ours. Why would you read somebody say something about you? Stop it.

You know what we did last night I not only collected the phones, I collected the iPads and everything else. And all I told them is we’re getting after this tomorrow. You go and have a great night’s sleep and you’re not looking at anything. Now when they got up for breakfast, (laughter) because they didn’t get to see their phone for 12 hours. I guess we’re gonna do that and make Dr. Capilouto travel with us too, that’s the two things we’ve got to start having.

Question about this year’s Kentucky team not being like other Kentucky teams that Calipari has had

We’re different. It doesn’t mean we’re not good. I said this is a different team. I’ve had coaches call me that are Hall of Fame (coaches), my friends and say you may have to play more traditionally. You know all these guys doing this and taking 30 threes, you may have to play more traditional because of who you are and what your team is.

That’s my job to figure out what’s the best way for this team to play. I have a different team every year I coach even if you got one or two guys back. You got four or five new ones. Every year I coach is a new team. I gotta figure it out. It takes me time. When you have injuries and all that kind of stuff, adds to it. I told all you guys it’s going to take time, this is not going to happen overnight. And everybody panicked and you know, I had a foot on the panic button and I didn’t have two feet on it though.

I’m so happy to be coaching that group of guys. Now I’m going to do everything I can to help them break through and be what they can be. That’s my job. And I don’t listen. I don’t read I don’t listen.

I watch Alaska shows. You know the one I’m on right now, “The Waltons.” Does anybody watch “The Waltons?” That’s a great show, it’s 50 years old, but I watch “The Waltons.” I mean, I don’t pay attention. And you know who I’ve apologized to for the last week? My wife. I said ‘Honey, I am so sorry you’re going through this.’ She said I don’t worry about you, I’m fine. I don’t want you... you know, you got family and stuff. My kids are calling me: ‘You okay dad?’ ‘Yeah. I’m okay. You okay?’

So this is a war. We won one. We got another tough one on Tuesday. And they’re (Georgia) playing great. But this was one that you know, you can you can get in a building like this and against a Hall of Fame coach like Rick Barnes and steal one like this, and I say steal one, you know we got down early.. But you know what? I haven’t lost any faith in these guys. I got good guys and I’ve got some talented guys, just different than some of my other teams.

We can’t get our own like I’ve had teams be able to, just throw to a guy go get a basket. We’re not that team. So we have to play a little more traditional. How about CJ today? The impact he had on the game.. happy for him, Antonio, Adou, Chris Livingston, Jacob, Lance, Oscar, Ugonna got in for a minute. But we’ll see going forward. Next game.

You know in all this, my whole mindset has been win the next game. I’m not worried about what happened, and I did ask the guys. Would you have rather beaten South Carolina and lost here, or done what happened? ‘Oh we’re good, we’re good.’ I said great, move by that game, move by it. We had two starters out. Move by it. Let’s go. Thanks folks.

This story was originally published January 14, 2023 at 4:07 PM.

Cameron Drummond

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-242-5257

Cameron Drummond works as a sports reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader with a focus on Kentucky men’s basketball recruiting and the UK men’s basketball team, horse racing, soccer and other sports in Central Kentucky. Drummond is a second-generation American who was born and raised in Texas, before graduating from Indiana University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker who previously worked as a community news reporter in Austin, Texas. Support my work with a digital subscription