Saturday’s players-only meeting certainly wasn’t some revolutionary tactic to turn the season around that other teams haven’t tried before. It wasn’t even the first players-only meeting Kentucky has had this year.But the fact that it’s being called now in February with a month until the NCAA Tournament begins shows just how imperative it is the Kentucky men’s basketball team gets its current drought resolved and turns around the season. “We can’t make excuses for why we are losing on the road when it comes down to pretty much the last five minutes,” freshman forward Terrence Jones said of what was talked about in the meeting. “We had a will to go up by three points (against Vanderbilt). We can’t just let three plays take us down. It felt like everybody’s energy just went away and we already lost just because they took the lead back.”The team meeting, called Saturday after UK returned from an 81-77 loss at Vanderbilt, came just a few days before the Cats face Mississippi State on Tuesday at Rupp Arena. Both teams were expected to compete for the overall Southeastern Conference title this year, but both find themselves behind a pack of teams with six games to play.”I didn’t know they had one,” head coach John Calipari said. “They had a players meeting? I hope it brings about change. We have to have a team full of guys playing. We can’t have one guy that’s not doing absolutely everything he can to get ready for the game. They know it.”Senior forward Josh Harrellson called the meeting immediately after arriving home from a disappointing loss in Nashville, the Cats’ fifth loss this season by four points or less. “We’re sick of (losing),” said freshman guard Jarrod Polson, who has seen action in three of the last six games. Jones said Harrellson did most of the talking but each player spoke out and had something to say.”I told my team that I want to change and work harder and dig in for the last couple of games for the season,” freshman guard Doron Lamb said. “I’ve got to step my game up on the court – more scoring, more defense and more energy on the court to help my team win.”The theme of the meeting, based on what the players said Monday, was to eliminate distractions. While none of the players would elaborate on what exactly those distractions were, the players said they’ve benefited from airing out some of their issues.”We’re all on the same page,” Polson said. “We just told each other that from here on, it’s all basketball. We just need to focus on basketball and not really anything else.”Calipari, who first learned of the meeting during his usual pregame meeting with the media, was asked if players-only team meetings help.”If they think it helps, do it,” Calipari said. “You know those bands people wear? If you think it helps you, wear that band. Medically, it doesn’t say there is good use. But it seems to be good for you, so do it.”After sounding relatively and surprisingly positive Saturday after the loss to Vanderbilt, there seemed to be a general concession Monday that there are indeed some anxiety issues when the game is on the line. Calipari watched the tape of this weekend’s game and pointed to key turnovers in critical junctures of the game as the difference makers. The silver lining for Cal and the team, at this point though, is its still February and the team has six regular-season games to figure everything out. “At the end of the day, I’m worried about where this team finishes, not where we are right now,” Calipari said. “Other than the top five or six, seven teams, every team has hit a lull in their season. … Everybody does. We have hit ours, now we have to bust through. Are we through it? I don’t know yet. We will see Tuesday. We will see Saturday. But I still like my team.”And despite losing three of four games, including five of six league games on the road, UK’s resume still looks pretty distinguished with an RPI ranking of 14th and key wins over Tennessee, Washington, Louisville and Notre Dame.”I wish we were winning all of these games, but the one thing I told my staff this morning was when you are winning, you put your head in the sand,” Calipari said. “So, what if Brandon (Knight) would have made that shot? What if Darius (Miller) would have shot the ball? What if we don’t leave the guy in the corner and he hits a 3? What if we in all of those three games? You know what? I am sitting here telling you that all is good in Candyland. “In reality, we still would have made the same mistakes that would have cost us down the road, so this is bringing them to life and this is bringing individuals to life and getting them really focused in. I’d much rather win from close wins than close losses any day, but sometimes it takes losses to wake me up some and get these guys thinking right.”Kentucky will receive a lift from its current slump with the first back-to-back games at Rupp Arena since mid-January. Whether it was by act or true revelation, Calipari expressed surprise on the SEC coaches’ teleconference Monday when he was told UK had consecutive home games this week against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.Even still, Calipari is expecting a Mississippi State team that is chock full of talent to play up to its potential.”This would be Mississippi State’s breakout party from (Dee) Bost to (Ravern) Johnson, (Renardo) Sidney, all of them,” Calipari said. “I’m watching them open up against Florida and the four man hits his first four shots by stepping out and shooting. I mean this is a talented team that is going to come and play us.”Junior guard/forward Darius Miller, who played sparingly through the second half of Saturday’s game with what appeared to be a groin injury, is day-to-day for the game.”We would like him to play, but if he can’t play, he can’t play,” Calipari said. “It gives someone else a chance to step in and get an opportunity and show they should be playing more.”