'We had our chances': Calipari breaks down how Kentucky was upset by No. 14 Oakland

WELL, IT IS A TALK AMONG ALL BASKETBALL FANS TODAY. KENTUCKY OUT OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT AFTER LOSING TO 14 SEED OAKLAND. YEAH, OUR NEWSROOM WAS GOING CRAZY LAST NIGHT. I KNOW YOU PROBABLY WERE TOO. SO A BIG SHOCK, OF COURSE, FOR WILDCAT FANS. SORRY. SPORTS REPORTER OLIVIA RAY HERE JOINING US WITH THE VERY LATEST. HI THERE. AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN INDIANA FAN THIS WAS ALSO THE TALK OF THE TOWN FOR ALL INDIANA FANS AS WELL. ALSO ON THE BORDER OF KENTUCKY AS WELL. SO LET’S GET INTO THIS DAY TWO OF THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. AND THE CATS, THEY’RE ALREADY BACK IN LEXINGTON THIS AFTERNOON, THE SECOND TIME IN THREE YEARS THAT KENTUCKY HAS SEEN A FIRST ROUND EXIT IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. THE HOT TOPIC, OF COURSE, ON SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY IS HEAD COACH JOHN CALIPARI’S FUTURE, THE HIGHEST PAID COACH IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL HASN’T SEEN THE SECOND WEEKEND OF MARCH MADNESS SINCE 2019. LAST NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH, THREE SEED KENTUCKY STUNNED BY NUMBER 14 SEED OAKLAND THANKS TO TEN THREE POINTERS FROM THE GOLDEN GRIZZLIES JACK GOKEY. THIS TIME LAST YEAR, GOKEY WAS WRAPPING UP HIS FOURTH SEASON OF D2 BASKETBALL AT HILLSDALE COLLEGE. FAST FORWARD TO HIS DEBUT IN THE BIG DANCE LAST NIGHT, AND HE MADE A STATEMENT POST GAME TELLING THE WORLD NOT TO CALL OAKLAND A CINDERELLA STORY COACH CAL. HE ALSO HAD PLENTY OF COMMENTS AFTER LAST NIGHT’S UPSET. WE WEREN’T QUITE TOUGH ENOUGH TO GET SOME OF THOSE BALLS AND SOME OF THE BASKETS THEY SCORED AROUND THE GOAL, UM. I JUST COME BACK TO, YOU KNOW, I IT JUST, I HATE IT FOR THESE GUYS THAT PEOPLE TRY TO DEFINE THIS SEASON BY THAT GAME. NOW KENTUCKY’S ROB DILLINGHAM AND REED SHEPPARD, THEY’RE BOTH PROJECTED LOTTERY PICKS IN THE UPCOMING NBA DRAFT. SO IS ANOTHER STACKED ROSTER FOR COACH CAL YET THE SAME OUTCOME HERE FOR KENTUCKY? IF UK WERE TO PART WAYS WITH WITH THEIR HEAD COACH, IT IS NEARLY. A $34 MILLION BUYOUT. OF COURSE, THAT IS WHAT EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT TODAY IS GET RID OF HIM. WELL, IT COST $34 MILLION. SO IT’S EASIER SAID THAN DONE. BUT I KNOW YOU AND CHARLIE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO, YOU KNOW, AMONGST EACH OTHER AND WITH ALL THE OTHER EXPERTS OUT THERE. WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINKING ABOUT THIS? DO YOU THINK THEY’RE GOING TO CUT TIES? IT’S HARD TO DO SO. BUT A BLUE BLOOD IS EXPECTED TO GO FURTHER THAN THE FIRST WEEKEND OF MARCH MADNESS. AND THIS HAS BEEN A TREND NOW FOR COACH CAL. WE’LL SEE IF THEY SHAKE THINGS UP. I KNOW OTHER TEAMS, OTHER BLUE BLOODS. I ALREADY MENTIONED INDIANA. THEY’VE PARTED WAYS WITH SEVERAL HEAD COACHES WHO CAN’T MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE DANCE. THE DIFFERENCE HERE FOR KENTUCKY IS THEY’RE DANCING EVERY YEAR. THEY’RE JUST NOT MAKING IT FAR IN THE. AND THE OTHER DIFFERENCE IS $34 MILLION. AND I THINK THAT COACH CAL IS ONE OF THOSE. HE’S A WINNING COACH. YOU KNOW OVER HIS CAREER HISTORY A COUPLE OF YEARS. YOU KNOW PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO GET ON FOLKS WHEN THEY’RE THE THE WINNER OF YOU KNOW THEY’RE THE WINNER. LIKE TOM BRADY. HE WON ALL THE TIME. BUT WHEN HE LOST IT’S LIKE GET RID OF YOU KNOW, IT’S LIKE, COME ON, CALM DOWN. SHORT TEMPERED WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. YEAH. REMEMBER ALL OF THE GOOD YEARS. TRY BEING A BENGALS FAN OKAY. THAT’S WHAT I SAY. TRY BEING A HOOT. AND ARE YOU JAPAN? YEAH. IT’S BEEN REALLY ROUGH FOR THEM. IT’S BEEN ROUGH. DO WANT TO NOTE DAYTON. THEY HAD A MASSIVE YES. IT WAS AN AWESOME COMEBACK. YOU ALSO HEARD YELLING FROM THE NEWSROOM FOR ME ON THAT ONE. THEY OVERCAME A 17 POINT SECOND HALF DEFICIT, BUT NOW THEY’RE GOING TO RUN STRAIGHT INTO NUMBER TWO. ARIZONA COMING UP TOMORROW IT WILL BE A 1245 TIP OFF. WE’LL

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Kentucky Wildcats were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64.After losing to No. 15-seeded Saint Peter's in 2022, John Calipari's Wildcats were upset again by a double-digit seed Thursday night, with the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies connecting on 15 threes in an 80-76 victory.Speaking after the game, Calipari bemoaned "critical mistakes at critical times" as one reason why Kentucky was unable to advance to the Round of 32 in the South Region."We had our chances, as good as they played and as many shots as they made, we had our chances, both on defense and offense," Calipari said.Defensively, the Wildcats struggled to stop Oakland guard John Gohlke, whose 10 threes came one shy of tying the NCAA Tournament single-game record held by Jeff Fryer. Gohlke finished with a team-high 32 points on 10-20 from beyond the arc.Part of the problem Thursday night, according to Calipari, was his team's youth and inexperience in postseason games. Outside of fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves, who led the Wildcats with 27 points, Kentucky's guards weren't able to perform how they did in the regular season. Among that group was the freshman trio of Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, who combined for only 13 points on 19 shot attempts."Where did the mistakes come from? They were freshmen," Calipari said. "They had performed on the road in hostile environments that I didn't expect some of the stuff today."After a 23-8 regular season that included victories over North Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee, Calipari's Wildcats dropped their first SEC Tournament game last week before falling to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64."This one hurt because they are the kind of team you love coaching," Calipari said. "I wanted them to advance because of all that they've been through. And I wanted them to have a chance to relish and cherish this event."In NBA.com's most recent mock draft, Sheppard and Dillingham are both projected to be picked in the top 10, while freshman guard Justin Edwards and Reeves are projected to be second round picks.

PITTSBURGH —

For the second time in the last three seasons, the Kentucky Wildcats were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64.

After losing to No. 15-seeded Saint Peter's in 2022, John Calipari's Wildcats were upset again by a double-digit seed Thursday night, with the No. 14 Oakland Golden Grizzlies connecting on 15 threes in an 80-76 victory.

Speaking after the game, Calipari bemoaned "critical mistakes at critical times" as one reason why Kentucky was unable to advance to the Round of 32 in the South Region.

"We had our chances, as good as they played and as many shots as they made, we had our chances, both on defense and offense," Calipari said.

Kentucky HC John Calipari has said this team was "Built for March."

Following UK's first-round upset to Oakland, Calipari was asked what went wrong in terms of the Cats ceiling in this tourney ⬇️ #BBN | @WLWT pic.twitter.com/fpWm0HQ7QN
— Olivia Ray (@OliviaRayTV) March 22, 2024

Defensively, the Wildcats struggled to stop Oakland guard John Gohlke, whose 10 threes came one shy of tying the NCAA Tournament single-game record held by Jeff Fryer. Gohlke finished with a team-high 32 points on 10-20 from beyond the arc.

Part of the problem Thursday night, according to Calipari, was his team's youth and inexperience in postseason games.

Outside of fifth-year guard Antonio Reeves, who led the Wildcats with 27 points, Kentucky's guards weren't able to perform how they did in the regular season. Among that group was the freshman trio of Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, who combined for only 13 points on 19 shot attempts.

"Where did the mistakes come from? They were freshmen," Calipari said. "They had performed on the road in hostile environments that I didn't expect some of the stuff today."

After a 23-8 regular season that included victories over North Carolina, Auburn, Alabama and Tennessee, Calipari's Wildcats dropped their first SEC Tournament game last week before falling to Oakland in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 64.

"This one hurt because they are the kind of team you love coaching," Calipari said. "I wanted them to advance because of all that they've been through. And I wanted them to have a chance to relish and cherish this event."

In NBA.com's most recent mock draft, Sheppard and Dillingham are both projected to be picked in the top 10, while freshman guard Justin Edwards and Reeves are projected to be second round picks.

'We had our chances': Calipari breaks down how Kentucky was upset by No. 14 Oakland

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