So far this season, Kentucky basketball’s John Calipari is a coach without answers
John Calipari is a Hall of Famer with 775 career victories and a national championship to his credit, but right here, right now, whatever it is the Kentucky basketball coach is doing just isn’t working.
Latest example: Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in New York where No. 13 Kentucky lost to No. 16 UCLA 63-53.
And the Wildcats looked ugly doing it.
UK shot just 32.8 percent from the floor. It was an abysmal 5 of 13 from the foul line. The Wildcats committed a season-high 18 turnovers and missed their last 11 shots on the way to dropping — and we do mean dropping — to 7-3 on the season.
One uncharacteristically poor performance against a ranked team would be one thing. It wasn’t. Saturday’s result continued a troubling trend. Over the last two seasons, Calipari is 3-8 against opponents ranked in the AP Top 25, including 0-2 this season.
In fact, UK has managed to play poorly on both coasts. It lost by 16 points to then-No. 2 Gonzaga in Spokane. It lost by double digits to Mick Cronin’s No. 16 battling Bruins in the Big Apple.
And we’re not even including UK’s 9-16 record in the 2020-21 COVID disaster and the stunning loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.
Is it still early? Of course. The Cats don’t start SEC play until Dec. 28. Is there time to get things straightened out? Of course. March Madness is nearly three long months away. Can Cal pull the train back on the track? Of course. He’s done it before.
Still, this sludge of a start is is both surprising and disconcerting considering the circumstances. After all, this Calipari club boasted ingredients former Calipari clubs lacked. Returning starters. Potential for high-level perimeter shooting. The returning national player of the year in Oscar Tshiebwe. An experienced point guard in Sahvir Wheeler. A pair of promising freshmen.
And yet, through 10 games, the Cats have played more like Calipari’s worst non-COVID Kentucky team, the one that failed to make the NCAA Tournament and lost at Robert Morris in the first round of the NIT.
Consider that Saturday’s 53 points was UK’s lowest point total since losing 71-52 at Tennessee on March 2, 2019, and second-lowest since a 64-48 loss to Vanderbilt in the 2013 SEC Tournament. The latter was the embarrassing loss that preceded the Cats’ embarrassing NIT loss.
Consider that Kentucky’s 0.789 points per possession Saturday was its lowest PPP average since posting a 0.738 number in a 64-55 loss to Baylor on December 1, 2012, at Rupp Arena. Yes, that’s the same season the Cats, oh well, never mind.
And UK’s hide-your-eyes 5-for-13 showing from the foul line for 38.5 percent was the worst since Kentucky somehow managed to make just 3 of 15 free throws in a 78-61 win over East Tennessee State at Rupp on Jan. 17, 2017. That was the same UK edition that lost to Kansas State in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
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So what’s going on here? For starters, I’ve never quite bought the argument that this season’s roster had the makings of an elite ensemble destined for the Final Four. There were far too many questions to be answered to justify that No. 4 preseason ranking. I’m still don’t see the go-to guy most teams need. Still, even my crystal ball didn’t predict Kentucky’s lack of success against good competition.
As usual, Calipari blamed Saturday’s setback on a lack of toughness. That’s part of it. A lack of execution, especially on the offensive end, might be more of it. Too often the Cats have either been careless with the ball or clueless about what they are trying to accomplish when the game is on line. Their half-court offense is a significant thud. After slicing UCLA’s lead to 55-53 with 4:29 remaining at MSG, Kentucky failed to scored another point.
“The crazy thing is we still could have won the game,” Calipari said Saturday.
Bottom line: It didn’t. Another ranked opponent. Another Kentucky loss. The trend continues.
