Calipari Wants His Team to ‘Have Fun’ Again

That’s about when teams began to adjust the way they approached Kentucky. Instead of challenging the boards, many teams immediately retreated following shots in order to help prevent the speedy Cats from getting out on the break.

Lately, the games haven’t been as much fun for UK. Following a 22-point drubbing at Florida, head coach John Calipari installed a reboot to try to get his team out of the four-game rut it had fallen into.

Now, the Wildcats, winners of five straight, face that same Gators squad again. The winner of Saturday’s game at Rupp Arena (2 p.m. ET on CBS) will take over sole possession of first place in the SEC entering the final week of the regular season.

It’s time to have some fun again.

“That’s all we’re talking about,” Calipari said Friday in regards to having fun. “You gotta go out – and I’ll say it again: The inconsistency makes it hard to have fun because sometimes that’s demoralizing. One guy, you’re like, ‘What in the?’ And I’m not saying for me; I’m saying if you’re on the court. You need a team full of guys – they don’t have to be great; they don’t have to be at their best – but you have to be in that range of what you are as a player so we know what to expect. And I think we’re getting closer to it.”

The inconsistency isn’t coming from the entire team, Calipari says, but rather just a couple guys. The key to playing more consistent is “let it go” and play more free.

As it is, the Wildcats have three games left in the regular season, followed by the NCAA Tournament. While the Wildcats would love to win the SEC regular-season and tournament titles, for Coach Cal the NCAA Tournament is the one that matters most, and until that tournament arrives there’s no need for his team to be playing “antsy.”

“Cal plays for the NCAA Tournament,” freshman guard Malik Monk said. “He’s told us that before. We’re just fighting for the NCAA Tournament. If we lose, we care about it, but we gotta move to the next game and the next game is going to be there.”

And as No. 11/10 Kentucky (23-5, 13-2 SEC) prepares to face No. 13/12 Florida (23-5, 13-2 SEC), Coach Cal knows that mindset will be imperative for his group.

“I told the guys yesterday: ‘It’s a big game if you win,’ ” Calipari said. “‘It’s a huge game if you win. If you don’t, then it’s the next game and we march on. It’s not the end of the season. We have to play on.’ I’m trying to get these guys focused on what we have to do.”

The last time these two teams met Kentucky was outrebounded by 25, setting a new record for greatest rebounding deficit by a UK team in the Calipari era. Junior center John Egbunu had eight points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes in that game, but will miss Saturday’s game and the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. 

In the Gators’ two games without their leading rebounder they have still managed to outrebound Mississippi State and South Carolina by four boards in each game.

“They’re still good,” Calipari said. “Their guard play and what they were (hasn’t changed). They’re missing one big guy but the other guys, they – the games I watched, the two without him, I mean, they beat South Carolina and they beat them pretty handily.”

Kentucky may also be without one of its star players, but that has not been determined yet. Freshman point guard De’Aaron Fox went down with a scary knee injury during the second half of Tuesday’s win at Missouri when teammate Wenyen Gabriel fell on top of him. Fox briefly left the game before reentering and finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Calipari said Fox’s status against Florida is a game-time decision and he did not practice Thursday. Fox came off the bench to score a team-high 19 points in the two team’s first matchup, which was his first game back on the court after missing one game with an illness.

Regardless of whether Fox can play Saturday or not, Calipari said the game will be about how the Wildcats make adjustments. After not knowing how to play against the almost entirely new, young Wildcats at the beginning of the season, opponents have devised game plans on how to attack and defend against UK. It’s now up to Kentucky to adjust.

One difference that should help Kentucky is that instead of every UK opponent playing with “house money,” the games for many teams have an added importance with the NCAA Tournament looming. In Saturday’s game, both teams have something to lose with SEC and NCAA tournament, which is something Kentucky has had to deal with all season long.

With the tables now even, Calipari wants his team to let it go and have fun again.

“You can’t have all this other clutter hanging around that’s slowing you down, that’s keeping you from being aggressive, keeping you from playing with great energy,” Coach Cal said. “You gotta wipe that stuff out and be ready to go.”

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