Coach John Calipari’s summary of the sixth straight loss to the Kentucky Wildcats – a 62-59 loss to Louisville’s rival on Saturday – was simple and to the point: “Losing stinks”.
“Let me just say that again, lose a stink,” said Calipari. “We had our chances and some collapses”.
Kentucky dropped to 1-6 only for the third time in the program’s history, correspondence begins with the Wildcats in 1911 and 1926, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Wildcats had their chances at the end of the game, but were left without a field goal in the last 3:22. Devin Askew missed a 3-point ball that would give Kentucky an advantage 23 seconds from the end, and Olivier Sarr’s jump eight seconds from the end hit all parts of the rim before falling. Brandon Boston Jr. lost a desperate draw in the final seconds.
Kentucky’s offensive players struggled on Saturday, with Sarr and Terrence Clarke combining to miss all eight field attempts. Clarke was dealing with an ankle injury – he didn’t start, and Calipari said he was only 80% healthy – while Sarr hasn’t made a field goal in the last two games since he scored 22 points against Notre Dame.
“We got into the game, ‘We’re going to play as many times as we can for him,'” said Calipari. “That was our game plan. They did a good job of fighting, leading and doing some things. And he missed a few shots. When you start making mistakes, you start playing with your confidence. It’s not like we’re not going for him, we are. “
Saturday’s loss gave Kentucky its first streak of six straight losses since the 1988-89 season, while this is also the first 1-6 game for any SEC team since Ole Miss in 1989-90, according to Elias .
Perhaps most worrying is the fact that no team that started a season with a 1-6 mark has ever received a general offer for the NCAA tournament.
“I can’t believe it’s over,” said Calipari. “We haven’t played a league game yet. Let’s do what we do. I’m not moving, I’m not giving in.”
The Kentucky SEC’s scheduled opening against South Carolina on Tuesday has been delayed due to problems with COVID-19, so the Wildcats will not play again until a trip to the state of Mississippi next Saturday.
“Suddenly, you get punched in the mouth and start to taste blood, how do you react?” Calipari said.
“How can we limit some of the breaks? … Where’s the lead now, where did we stand a chance? We took our chances and abandoned all.”
Kentucky entered the season with just one player who saw the Wildcats court last season, second-year striker Keion Brooks – who has not yet played this season due to injury. After a season opening win over Morehead State, Kentucky lost to Richmond, Kansas and four consecutive ACC opponents.
Calipari questioned his decision to schedule such a difficult start for a young and inexperienced team after an abbreviated preseason.
“We need more time for all the team building things we do here all the time,” said Calipari. “We build a team in the summer. We build a team in the fall. We are buying time. Not where we need to be, but buying time.
“You have to play games that you can win to build confidence … This was the most stupid schedule I’ve ever done. I would like to pat myself on the mouth.”