Calipari: Difficult closing schedule might cost Cats an SEC title
With his team in first place with three games remaining, John Calipari cautioned against the presumption of Kentucky winning another Southeastern Conference championship.
“It’s going to be hard for us to do because of the schedules . . . ,” the UK coach said Friday. “I’m more concerned about us getting better.”
Of the three teams at the top of the SEC standings, Kentucky has the most difficult remaining schedule. The Cats’ three opponents have a combined Ratings Percentage Index of 189.
That schedule calls for games at Vanderbilt on Saturday and Florida on Tuesday. Those two teams have a combined home record of 12-3 in SEC play and 24-5 overall. UK finishes the season at home against LSU, which features an X-factor in star freshman Ben Simmons.
“We could lose all three,” Calipari said of UK’s remaining games. “But if we play at a high level and doing what we’re supposed to, we’ll be going into the tournaments and we’ll be fine.”
South Carolina, which is a game behind Kentucky, faces three opponents with a combined RPI of 373 (at Mississippi State, Georgia, at Arkansas). Texas A&M, which is also a game behind UK, must play at Missouri, at Auburn and home against Vanderbilt. Those three teams have a combined RPI of 404.
Desperados
Kentucky’s three remaining opponents seem to share a need to beat a marquee opponent to bolster hopes for a bid to the NCAA Tournament or improve projections of a modest seeding.
As of Thursday, ESPN “bracketologist” Joe Lunardi listed Vandy among the first four teams out of the tournament and LSU among the next four teams out of the tournament. He had Florida as a No. 8 seed.
Vandy point guard Wade Baldwin IV acknowledged that his team had its collective back to the wall.
“I think there’s a definite sense of urgency,” he said Thursday.
Vandy Coach Kevin Stallings resisted the notion that the game against Kentucky has make-or-break implications for a bid.
“We can’t play the game as though it’s the game to put us in the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “It’s the most important game because it’s the next one.”
When asked about opponents inspired to beat Kentucky in order to make the NCAA Tournament, Calipari all but shrugged.
“I don’t think it matters to us,” he said. “Every team we play, it’s like, ‘We win this game, we don’t have to win anymore.’ Really? You’ve got 18 games left.
“For us, every team plays with a desperation when they play us.”
‘He’s great’
With Tyler Ulis a prime candidate to be SEC Player of Year, he surely figures prominently in Vandy’s game plan.
When asked Thursday why Ulis was so effective, Stallings answered simply and directly.
“He’s great,” Stallings said before elaborating. “There are no weaknesses in his game. He’s a great defender. He has a great basketball mentality and IQ. He has a great skill level. He has a great heart in terms of his desire to win and desire to compete.
“He’s a stud. That guy is terrific.”
Baldwin said he looked forward to the matchup.
“I’m not trying to make it personal,” he said. “If I do the things I’ve been coached to do and things this team needs me to do, I’ll be the best player on the floor, and I fully believe that.”
Ulis got the best of Baldwin in the first meeting. Ulis led UK with 21 points and five assists. Baldwin made only one of nine shots and had five turnovers.
Sellout
The game is Vandy’s first sellout since Jan. 11, 2014, when the Commodores played — you guessed it — Kentucky.
On Friday, Vandy issued a warning that fans should be wary of counterfeit tickets.
All tickets have been distributed as printed tickets on Vanderbilt’s official commemorative stock or on thermal ticket office stock printed in the main McGugin Ticket Office, the school said.
No tickets have been distributed via print-at-home tickets or via digital downloads that can be accessed through a mobile device.
Vandy asked fans to avoid tickets that can be bought off a secondary ticket site. No tickets will be honored that are not printed on original Vanderbilt ticket stock.
Vandy also said that there will be no reprinted tickets for lost, stolen or otherwise destroyed tickets.
Etc.
▪ UK has had its full roster for only three games since Jan. 1. The Cats lost two of those three games: at Kansas and at Tennessee. The victory came against Ole Miss.
▪ Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb will call the game for CBS.
This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:42 PM with the headline "Calipari: Difficult closing schedule might cost Cats an SEC title."