John Calipari: Kentucky Wildcats ‘not that good’
By Jacob Rude
John Calripari led the Kentucky Wildcats to one of the most dominant wins we’ve seen in some time on Tuesday night to finish the Champions Classic and ESPN’s 24 hour Tip-Off Marathon.
They held the Kansas Jayhawks to 11 field goals through the game, 19% field goal shooting, and dominated every facet of the game. Did we mention the Jayhawks were ranked #5 coming in?
Moments after the game ended, though, Calipari was tempering expectations to the media during his press conference.
Calipari: "No, we're not that good." Says UK still has "so much to figure out" offensively. Teams will zone the Cats.
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) November 19, 2014
Certainly, this is a coach saying what a coach should say, but man it’s hard to believe him. Sure, teams may zone the Wildcats, but that creates more opportunities for offensive rebounds, something the Wildcats dominate at.
After all the questions surrounding Kentucky’s platoon system were answered quite emphatically as well. Their ability to rotate in fresh bodies into the game wears opponents down, which Calipari also acknowledged.
Calipari: "We kind of bum-rushed them a little bit. Every time they looked, there were more tanks coming over the hill."
— Kyle Tucker (@KyleTucker_ATH) November 19, 2014
Aside from Calipari’s odd insistence on referring to his substitute players as reinforcements, there wasn’t much Kentucky did wrong tonight. Their size overwhelmed, their guards outclassed, and the Wildcats devoured the Jayhawks.
Do you think Kentucky is the best team in the nation? Can they go undefeated this year? Let us know in the comments below!