Calipari: "Enough is enough"

By: LARRY VAUGHT



A few weeks ago John Calipari was hoping his team would get punched in the face by an opposing team. After winning an emotional game at Louisville, needing overtime to beat Ole Miss to open Southeastern Conference play and then escaping with a double overtime win at Texas A&M, that’s no longer the case.

“I've said all along that you don't want to go through a season when you're never in a close game. You don't learn about your team. You need to be down 10 or 12 and see how they respond,” said Calipari on the SEC coaches teleconference Monday. “You need to be in overtime games where they've got to really lock down and be efficient offensively and make free throws or create good shots.

“Some eyes were opened (at Texas A&M): Trey Lyles making free throws, Dakari (Johnson) making free throws and coming up with huge rebounds. The way Devin (Booker) layed down the stretch really showed some things.

"But enough is enough. We've had enough of these games now. Let's get some games that are a little bit easier for us, but I don't think we'll have any. I think every game we play is someone's Super Bowl. They're going to play out of their minds. That's what I'm trying to tell our team. You don't play with desperation and they do, you're losing."

Calipari doesn’t think talk of an unbeaten season is the reason UK has hit a lull after a nine-day break following the win over Louisville. Instead he wonders about other things.

“Have we lost our edge? Have we lost our swagger? Have we lost a little bit of our focus? And then if we had, what was it? What was our swag about? What was our focus about? What was our edge? What gave us an edge? And then the question becomes, how do we get it back?” Calipari said. “If we lost it, what were reasons we could have lost it? And it's not like we're totally ... we're still winning tough games and we're fighting like crazy.”

Kentucky did win its two close games. Over the weekend Duke, Wisconsin, Louisville and Arizona, all highly ranked teams, lost conference games.

Calipari said again Monday he didn’t want his team playing like it was time for March Madness yet.

“Every team in the country right now has issues. Every team. Every team in the country is working through something. All I'll tell you is I'm happy I'm coaching this team. I believe I have the best team in the country with the best players. So we've got some things to figure out. We'll do it together,” Calipari said.

The Wildcats (15-0) were atop 63 of 65 votes cast Monday in the Associated Press poll, ending a run of five straight weeks as the unanimous No. 1. Virginia (15-0) got the other two first-place votes and moved up a spot to No. 2.

Calipari is not anticipating any radical moves going into Tuesday night’s home game with Missouri. He said “I’m good” when asked on the teleconference if he might elevate freshman point guard Tyler Ulis, who hit a key 3 in overtime at Texas A&M and led UK in scoring against Louisville, to the first unit over struggling Andrew Harrison who has been slowed by a hip injury.

“The thing that I would tell all of our guys, and what we talked about today: I believe in all of them. Now, if there's any reason they're not thinking right – because they're all talented; the things we're asking them to do, they can do,” Calipari said. “But no, again, we got a good group of kids, man. I'm telling you: Great kids.

“They've all stepped up at different times. They've all played bad at ties, yet the team covered for them. And it was like the game against Mississippi: I couldn't have Tyler in at the end if we wanted to win the game (because of defense). He couldn't be in. So I think everybody is watching spots of this, spots of that. I'm watching the full body of work. I'm fine with where our team is."