Photo by Vicki Graff
Tuesday night’s season-opening beatdown was unlike any loss a Kentucky team has ever witnessed under John Calipari. The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were mopped up by the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils, 118-84. Calipari took to his post-game press conference, along with Instagram and Twitter, to accept full responsibility for his team’s lack of preparation to start the season.
Ahead of Friday’s home-opener against Southern Illinois, Calipari said in Thursday’s press conference that “you want it to hurt” in regards to what he wants his players to learn from Tuesday’s outing.
Calipari added that his players were executing basically the opposite of a team effort.
“Each guy – we were out there, instead of playing for each other, they were trying to get theirs,” Calipari said.
Specifically, their defensive effort and attention to detail/communication should be expected to vastly improve. Better efficiency via outside shooting will come with volume but playing together in the offensive scheme is purely based on effort and willingness to win as a unit.
Freshman Keldon Johnson and graduate transfer Reid Travis were the only two aggressors on either end, with sophomores Nick Richards and Quade Green putting forth a rather disappointing performance.
Inexperience from Ashton Hagans, EJ Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley and Tyler Herro also showed.
On Friday, while the opposition doesn’t boast the nation’s top-three overall freshman, the Wildcats should more than rebound from such an excruciating fall out of the gate.
The team many watched in the Bahamas back during August may not reveal itself for quite some time, but the talented Wildcats can only go up from their performance earlier in the week.
Tip-off is set for 6pm central, and can be heard on 106.5 WKDZ.
