John Calipari conceded Tuesday night that he may be running out of things to tell his struggling Wildcats.
In the aftermath of a 70-62 loss at Ole Miss, a defeat that ensures Kentucky will have a losing record in SEC play for only the third time in program history, the UK head coach found it difficult to explain his 8-15 team.
"It’s been hard on these kids," Calipari said. "I get it. But, I’m used to winning. I’m not used to this. Folks, you haven’t asked me, ‘What’s your postgame? What do you say to these guys?’ I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m saying right or wrong because I haven’t been there for 35 years.
“Look, I’m not quitting on these kids. I’m not cracking. You can tell, my mindset is fine. I’m not used to this but, you know what, I’ve said how many times, I don’t have a magic wand. Now, everybody believes me. I don’t have a magic wand. If I had one, I’d be using it on individual players and the team.”
One thing Calipari did know on this night was that Kentucky found a way to lose another close game by means that it typically does not. Ole Miss dominated the Cats on the glass, winning the rebound column by an astounding 42-28 margin.
"How 'bout we have 16 assists and only seven turnovers? What's that usually mean for us?" Calipari pondered after the game.
That's typically a stat that bodes well for the Cats.
"Not when you get outrebounded and absolutely... " the UK boss added, his words trailing off as he wiped his brow in frustration.
With the game tied at 50 and 9:39 remaining, Ole Miss went on a 13-5 run to take control. Five different Rebels scored during the decisive spurt.
Kentucky managed to hang within two possessions until the final minute but could only knock down two baskets over the final 7 1/2 minutes of play and missed five of nine at the free-throw line.
The Rebels snapped an 11-game losing skid to the Cats.
Ole Miss (14-10, 9-8 SEC) got 17 points and seven assists from point guard Devontae Shuler and a double-double from power forward KJ Buffen, who scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
Romello White also produced a double-double for the Rebels with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Another Ole Miss standout, Sammy Hunter, may have best underscored the Cats' misfortune on this night. He entered the game having made only two 3-pointers on the season but knocked down three against UK en route to an 11-point game.
Kentucky (8-15, 7-9 SEC) was led by sophomore Keion Brooks Jr. with 16 points and eight rebounds. No other Wildcat had more than three rebounds.
The Cats also got 15 points from grad transfer center Olivier Sarr, 13 points from freshman forward Isaiah Jackson, and 10 points from grad transfer guard Davion Mintz, but they shot only 37.5% from the field as a team, made only five 3-pointers, and had their worst free-throw shooting night (15 of 25) of the season.
*****
RAPID RECAP:
Despite playing poorly in the first half, shooting 25% for most of it, Kentucky only trailed 32-29 at the half. The Cats played well early in the second half, pushing ahead by six at one point, but surrendered the lead with 9:14 remaining and never recovered. In many ways, it was a snapshot of the entire UK season, although there were also some odd stats that made this one feel different. Ole Miss had its best 3-point shooting game of the season. Kentucky had 16 assists and only seven turnovers, which typically bodes well for the Cats. But they got outrebounded 42-28, which rarely happens. UK has been a deadly free-throw shooting team for the last several weeks but missed 10 on this night. It marked the ninth time this season the Cats have lost a game decided by eight points or less.
GAME BALL:
KJ Buffen, Ole Miss -- The Rebels' power forward had 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 24 minutes of action before fouling out with 4:12 to go. He epitomized the physicality that Ole Miss used to bully the Cats.
KEY STAT:
The Rebels entered the game as the worst 3-point shooting team in the SEC and one of the worst in all of major conference basketball, averaging just four makes and shooting them at a 28.5% clip on the season. They were 8-for-13 against the Cats.
QUOTABLE:
"That we were right on the edge of pushing over the edge to go the right way and be right there and do some crazy stuff and then they revert back to what is easier and what they’d rather do. Normally my teams understand, ‘OK, I’ve got it, I see what he’s saying, I’m hearing him now and this is the way I play.’ And then they go on from here and they’ve learned how to fight, how to make it personal with another player. ‘It’s you and me’. And they learn all that here. They learn that winning matters. They learn dagger plays. They know what they are. And we were getting to where I’m like, all right, we’re getting this. We’re going to be good. We’re going to be one of those teams and all we have to do is crack this and this and this is going to be one of those. And then we revert back for two games. Totally revert back." -- UK coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Saturday at Rupp Arena against South Carolina, a game that was originally scheduled for January but was postponed due to Covid-19 testing. Tipoff for the Wildcats and Gamecocks is at Noon ET on ESPN.
