As a ‘rivalry coach,’ John Calipari has done UK fans two great favors
Fast-break points from the intersection of Cats, Cards and COVID-19:
21. UK vs. U of L postponed. After Louisville big man Malik Williams missed the Cardinals’ 82-72 loss at Western Kentucky on Saturday due to COVID-19 protocols, it felt inevitable that U of L’s contest with Kentucky on Wednesday night in Rupp Arena would be postponed. Now that it has been, here’s hoping postponement doesn’t end up as cancellation.
20. If the game is canceled. Should Kentucky and Louisville be unable to play this season, the Cats-Cards series should resume in 2022-23 in Rupp Arena. That seems obvious, but my experience across sports with UK-U of L scheduling issues is that one cannot always count on an agreement for common sense to prevail.
19. What a coach owes their fan base. When you are coaching big-time college sports, one of your foremost jobs is to beat the teams your fans most yearn to conquer.
18. John Calipari. As Kentucky head man, Calipari’s “rivalry record” is mixed — with two really big successes.
17. The rivalry downside. Under Cal, UK is 1-3 vs. Duke; 2-3 vs. Notre Dame; 2-3 vs. UCLA; 1-2 vs. Ohio State; 4-4 vs. Kansas; 3-2 vs. Indiana; 15-10 vs. Tennessee; 19-9 against Florida.
16. Rivalry success number one. After Kentucky’s 98-69 beatdown of North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic, Calipari is 7-4 vs. the Tar Heels. Against a foe that has historically tormented UK, that is far above the norm for a Wildcats coach.
15. UK coaches vs. UNC. Adolph Rupp went 5-6 vs. the Tar Heels. Joe B. Hall was 1-5. Rick Pitino went 0-3. Tubby Smith was 4-3. Billy Gillispie 0-2. (Eddie Sutton never faced Carolina).
14. Rivalry success number two. Even allowing for Kentucky’s 62-59 loss at Louisville last season, Calipari has owned the Cardinals. UK is 11-3 vs. its intrastate rival under Cal.
13. Enhancing Wildcats superiority. The Calipari era has only strengthened UK’s control in its rivalry with U of L. Since the modern Cats-Cards series commenced with the 1983 NCAA Tournament “Dream Game,” Kentucky has won two out of every three (28-14) of its meetings with Louisville.
12. Modern-era UK coaching records vs. U of L. Joe B. Hall 2-2, Eddie Sutton 3-1, Rick Pitino 6-2, Tubby Smith 6-4, Billy Gillispie 0-2, John Calipari 11-3.
11. Modern-era U of L coaching records vs. UK. Denny Crum 7-13, Rick Pitino 6-12, David Padgett 0-1, Chris Mack 1-2.
10. Bellarmine. If, as was being rumored mid-day Monday, UK schedules Scott Davenport’s Knights to play the Wildcats in Rupp, it would mean Bellarmine will end up facing Purdue, Gonzaga, UCLA, West Virginia and Kentucky in its second season as an NCAA Division I program.
9. Western Kentucky’s vintage sports day. Between the Hilltoppers’ men’s basketball victory over U of L plus the 59-38 win by Tyson Helton’s WKU football team over Appalachian State in the Boca Raton Bowl, Saturday was a red-letter day for Western Kentucky University.
8. Rick Stansbury. The victory over Louisville was Western’s 11th over a power-conference foe since Stansbury, the Meade County native and ex-Mississippi State head man, became WKU coach in 2016-17.
7. Hat tip to U of L. Louisville deserves credit for regularly playing Western Kentucky, and for occasionally doing so in Bowling Green. Amazingly, WKU’s win Saturday was its first-ever over U of L in E.A. Diddle Arena.
6. UK vs. Western? Wish Kentucky would play Western Kentucky and, for that matter, Murray State, more frequently. All time, UK and WKU have only played six times — and three of those were in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky and Murray State have never played.
5. Jamarion Sharp. The 7-foot-5 WKU center had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in the victory over Louisville.
4. A difference maker. Since becoming a starter eight games ago, Sharp, a Hopkinsville product, is averaging 10 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 5.1 blocks, shooting 77 percent (37-of-48) on field-goal tries — and Western (8-4) is 7-1 in those games.
3. EKU-NKU. Watched the second half and overtime period of Eastern Kentucky’s 81-68 OT victory over Northern Kentucky on Saturday night on ESPN Plus. It was not artistic basketball, but it was the most-intense game I’ve seen this season.
2. Marques Warrick. After earning Horizon League Freshman of the Year honors for Northern Kentucky last season, the ex-Henry Clay star got off to a frigid-shooting start in 2021-22. In the first seven games of 2021-22 for NKU (4-6), Warrick made 23 of 87 shots (26.4 percent) and nine of 34 treys (26.4) while averaging 9.1 points a game.
1. Turning it around. Over Northern Kentucky’s past three contests, Warrick, a 6-2, 175-pound sophomore, has made 21 of 44 shots (47.7 percent) and nine of 24 three-pointers (37.5) and has averaged 22 points a game.
For NKU Coach (and Tates Creek product) Darrin Horn, the chances of a Happy New Year would seem directly proportional to Warrick continuing to heat up.
