It had been so long since John Calipari had been ejected from a basketball game that he didn’t remember it ever happening.

“I’ve done this 20-some years,” Calipari said. “It’s the first game I’ve ever been thrown out of, pro or college. That’s what I can tell you. I’ve never been thrown out of a game.”

That’s not quite true. Calipari actually received the heave-ho Feb. 25 1996 as the head coach of Massachusetts. He received two first-half technicals and was ejected with 10:31 remaining in the first half. UMass lost the game 86-76 after starting the season 26-0.

Calipari was ejected with 6:26 remaining in UK’s 85-60 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Sunday. Referee Mike Stuart nailed Calipari with two quick technical fouls late in the second half, sending the UK coach to the locker room.

Calipari declined postgame to go into details of the ejection.

“That’s his prerogative,” Calipari said of the ref’s decision to him. “I coach the game. He has a whistle. If he wants to throw me out of a game, that’s what is in his mind, he does it.”

Assistant coach John Robic took over head coaching duties as Calipari took his coat off, put his feet up and “had a little drink of water” in the locker room. 

“I didn’t put it on TV until the last two minutes,” Calipari said. “(Robic) did fine. He was telling me to run the back door, run the back door. DeAndre (Liggins) got it. He kept after me to get it. DeAndre missed the layup. John (Robic) is a good coach.”