You thought Saint Peter’s was rock bottom.
You thought wrong.
South Carolina is rock bottom.
You thought that after losing by 26 points to Alabama last Saturday in Tuscaloosa, this Kentucky men’s basketball team would come out on fire Tuesday night at Rupp Arena. You thought the Cats would make amends by pounding the poor South Carolina Gamecocks, a 19.5-point underdog who had lost by 43 points at home the Saturday before.
You thought wrong.
Final: South Carolina 71, Kentucky 68.
But then a few short years ago you thought that John Calipari would remain on top of the college basketball world, recruiting the best classes, making multiple Final Fours, adding national championship banners to the Rupp Arena rafters.
You thought wrong.
Tuesday night a UK fan was ushered from his Rupp Arena seat after his “Please Go to Texas” sign was blocking the view of the patrons behind him. Sign of the times.
Kentucky is now 10-6 overall, 1-3 in the SEC.
Where did it go wrong?
Truth be told, Kentucky hasn’t been the same program since that 38-0 team lost to Wisconsin in the 2015 Final Four. The Cats came close to reaching the Final Four in 2017 and 2019, losing in the Elite Eight both years, but the bottom dropped out in the 6-19 COVID season of 2020-21, before the embarrassing loss to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
As bad as Saturday’s 78-52 loss was at Alabama, the Crimson Tide was an AP top-10 team playing at home. South Carolina walked into Rupp Arena 7-8 overall and 0-2 in the SEC for new head coach Lamont Paris. Three days before, the Gamecocks had suffered an 85-42 homecourt drubbing by Tennessee.
True, UK was without starting forward Jacob Toppin, who suffered a shoulder injury in Tuscaloosa. By the end of the first half, back spasms had sent starting guard Cason Wallace to the locker room. The freshman did not return.
“We were undermanned,” Calipari said, “but it doesn’t matter.”
Calipari also said this: “We lost the game in the first half.”
Nor was it the first time. Kentucky fell behind Gonzaga 19-6 and lost 88-72. It trailed UCLA 27-15 and lost 63-53. It trailed Missouri 15-5 and lost 89-75. It trailed Alabama 11-2 and lost big. Tuesday night, it watched South Carolina jump to a 21-6 lead in the game’s first seven minutes.
The Cats cut the Gamecocks lead to four (26-22), then trailed 42-32 at the half. It pulled within 61-58 in the second half, then watched South Carolina score eight straight points. It was within one, 69-68, with 51 seconds left only to see the Gamecocks grab a key offensive rebound. Two made South Carolina free throws later, UK’s Sahvir Wheeler turned the ball over.
“You have six turnovers in a game and you lose the game,” Calipari said afterward. “I’ve never heard of that before.”
It’s not the number of turnovers, it’s the timing of the turnovers. It’s not that Kentucky is ranked 21st in adjusted offensive efficiency by kenpom, it’s that the Cats can’t get a key bucket when they need a key bucket. It’s not about numbers, it’s about wins.
It’s also about something else. A few years back, former UK guard Sean Woods, then Morehead State’s coach, caught flak for saying he didn’t like the sense of entitlement around the Kentucky program. The criticism sticks.
Start with Calipari’s preseason “We’re a basketball school” comment that began a territorial spat that neither basketball nor football has backed up. Now throw in current comments of “It’s a long season” and “We’ve got time to figure this out” and “We’re Kentucky.”
Where’s the sense of urgency? Where’s the fear that without a quick turnaround, this Kentucky basketball season is too far gone?
“Today was a sense of urgency,” Calipari answered Tuesday. “So now we got the next one. It’s a hard game up at Tennessee. They’re really good. All right, let’s go. Let’s see where we are. You just keep marching.”
After Tuesday, there’s nowhere to march but up.
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