UK Going Back to Basics ahead of North Dakota Matchup
There isn’t a coach in America better suited for molding a group of young players into a true team than John Calipari. He’s proven it over and over.
That doesn’t mean he’s infallible.
“Anytime I think these kids know something then I’m more than likely making a mistake, and that’s just about every team I’ve coached here,” Calipari said. “If I think, well they know that, then I’ve made a mistake.”
Calipari believes he may have made one such mistake in the lead-up to the 2018-19 season. With three returning sophomores and a graduate transfer on the roster and impressive performances in Big Blue Bahamas Tour exhibitions, it was easy to make.
“We went too far,” Calipari said. “Tried to do too much and we didn’t really get established in what we wanted to be. So, hopefully when you watch us you will see a little different team and you’ll say, ‘OK, I get it.’ That’s not their fault; that was me. Maybe I was trying to get ready for a game that I thought was important and move them too far.”
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| Kentucky vs. North Dakota | ||
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Wed., Nov. 14 – 9 p.m. ET |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | 2018-19 Stats | ND |
| 77.5 | PPG | 83.5 |
| 88.5 | Opp PPG | 54.0 |
| .442 | FG% | .480 |
| .489 | Opp FG% | .326 |
| 42.5 | RPG | 45.0 |
| .258 | 3PT FG% | .404 |
| .405 | Opp 3PT FG% | .238 |
| .723 | FT% | .789 |
| 14.0 | APG | 15.5 |
| 3.0 | SPG | 5.0 |
| 5.5 | BPG | 4.5 |
The game Calipari is referencing, of course, is the season opener against Duke, which UK lost handily. It might end up being even more important than anyone thought, but for far different reasons. It could just be what pushes the Wildcats to take on the immutable traits of a Calipari-coached team.
“So now all the stuff that makes us who we are, we didn’t do any of it,” Calipari said. “So we’ve kind of gone back and just said, let’s just get this stuff down.”
As No. 10 UK (1-1) prepares for a game Wednesday at 9 p.m., Coach Cal is going “old school.”
“I’ve done this more than once,” Calipari said. “I mean, I’ve gone, moved it and I thought we were fine until you get smacked and then you realize, uh oh, we really don’t even know how to get open. ‘Well, they should.’ Well, they don’t. Stuff that we should know, but it’s not their fault. They’re going to do what I accept they’ll do. They’re usually not going to do a whole lot more than what I accept.”
In other words, Calipari is clearly defining what he will and will not expect, starting with the simplest of things.
“I say every year, you can’t skip steps,” Calipari said. “Growth is painful. I wish it was less painful but it isn’t. I wish they ran faster up those steps, but they’re going at the pace they go and now we’re playing – we’re talking about us – but we’re playing a good team again.”
That team is North Dakota, a squad that will enter Rupp Arena with a record of 2-0 after building a double-digit lead at Milwaukee before holding on for a 63-60 victory.
“I watched the tape,” Calipari said. “They space the court great. … So this is a lot like a Southern Illinois. Now, you say North Dakota – the name North Dakota – forget about the name; they’re a terrific basketball team.”
“I heard they’re a pretty good team,” Keldon Johnson said. “I think we’ll be fine as long as we come out and play our type of basketball.”
For now, with UK going back to basics, that’s all about effort, intensity and unselfishness for the Cats. Calipari will worry about the finer details.
“You can’t do everything,” Calipari said. “So, now it becomes, OK, what are we trying to be good at? I’ve said this to you guys before, and ladies, you can’t be the greatest half court man-to-man team, full-court pressing team, unbelievable in the zone, and you trap, and your out of bounds, you’re unbelievable out-of-bounds plays, side out of bounds you’re even better than that, but man, your zone offense – you’re not going to be good at everything. And you have to decide, what is this team’s strength and how can we be good at those things and try to stay away from the things that we don’t do well?”
It’s impossible to say when UK will sort all that out. From past experience, Calipari can say with confidence it won’t happen overnight.
“Well, it takes me normally a season – at least months to figure it out and figure it out with these guys,” Calipari said. “But, we’ve got a good group of kids. We’ve gotta have a couple of them stand up and step away from this pack. When we see that and have those guys, kind of like last year when Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) and Kevin Knox kind of stepped away and stepped up a little bit it made it easy on everybody.”
Freshmen, Richards’ Rebounds Lead UK Past Veteran Salukis
Freshman guards Keldon Johnson and Immanuel Quickley each scored 15 points, Nick Richards grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds, and the Wildcats rallied in the second half to beat Southern Illinois 71-59 on Friday night, avoiding UK’s first 0-2 start since the 2008-09 season.
The Wildcats had to work hard in the second half to overcome sloppy play — UK committed 14 first-half turnovers, tied for the most in any half under John Calipari — and the veteran Salukis, who led 44-37 before Quickley and Quade Green (14 points) made consecutive 3-pointers to spark a 10-2 run for a 47-46 lead with 12:19 left.
SIU didn’t quit, but the Wildcats slowly extended their lead to 61-52 on consecutive three-point plays by Johnson and Green. Kentucky went on to win.
Richards’ rebounding provided the biggest lift for Kentucky, which dominated SIU 48-19 on the glass. The sophomore forward had as many boards as the Salukis combined, surpassing his previous best of 15 last season against Fort Wayne. His total matched the highest by a Kentucky player since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist grabbed 19 against Louisville in December 2011.
The Wildcats also shot 47 percent after halftime and limited SIU to 1 of 7 shooting from long range.
Aaron Cook had 18 points and Kavion Pippen 16 for the Salukis (0-1), who opened against their first ranked team since No. 13 Illinois in 2010. They shot 41 percent in their first meeting with the Wildcats
• The win marked the 44th consecutive home win over an unranked Associated Press Top 25 nonconference opponent
• The win extended UK’s home opener winning streak to 10 games. UK has never lost a home opener under Calipari
• Kentucky improved to 45-12 under Calipari following a loss. The Wildcats have only lost back-to-back games 12 times during the Calipari era
• UK improved to 234-5 (.989) under Calipari when leading by at least 10 points at any point in the game
• The Wildcats are now 153-7 (.956) under Calipari’s direction when limiting the opponent to 63 points or fewer
• Kentucky committed 19 turnovers in the game, 13 coming in the first half. It’s the most turnovers committed since tallying 22 miscues last season against East Tennessee State on Nov. 17, 2017
• UK outrebounded SIU by 29 (48-19). It was the third-largest rebound margin in the Calipari era and the biggest margin since UK outrebounded NJIT by 31 on Nov. 14, 2015
• The Wildcats dished out 11 assists on 24 made field goals for a 45.8-percent rate
• Kentucky shot 70.4 percent from the line and is shooting 72.3 percent from the charity stripe over its first two games
• Richards’ career-high rebounds matched the most in the Calipari era. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 19 against Louisville on Dec. 31, 2011
• Nine of his rebounds came on the offensive end, tying the Calipari-era record for the most in a game which had been done three times previously, most recently by Willie Cauley-Stein against Arkansas on Feb. 27, 2014
• Four players scored in double figures with Johnson being the lone Cat to reach double digits in both games this season
Lucky Number 19?
In an odd twist to Friday’s win over Southern Illinois, the number 19 ironically reigned supreme. The number surfaced in a variety of stats, which could also sum up the game.
First, Nick Richards hauled in a career-high 19 rebounds. It tied Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s output against Louisville in 2011 as the most under John Calipari. Richards matched Southern Illinois’ team total in rebounds as the Wildcats dominated the boards by a plus-29 margin.
Kentucky made 19 free throws (70.4 percent) on the night and out shot the Salukis at the charity stripe by 15 attempts. Kentucky is averaging 32.5 trips to the line per game over the first two games.
The Wildcats committed 19 turnovers with 14 coming in the first half. It’s the most turnovers for UK since committing 22 last season against East Tennessee State on Nov. 17, 2017. Those 19 turnovers resulted in 19 points off turnovers for the Salukis, as SIU led that category 19-11.
The Salukis led for 19:31 of game clock with the Wildcats not earning their first lead until 5:21 to play in the first half. Kentucky utilized a 7-0 run to take a 22-19 lead.
Finally, a 10-2 run in the second half lifted UK to a 47-46 lead it would not relinquish. There was 12:19 remaining on the clock.
Kentucky Remains Perfect in Home Openers under John Calipari
With a 71-59 win over a veteran Southern Illinois team on Friday, the Wildcats have won 10 straight games — all 10 of Calipari’s home openers — in their first game of the season at Rupp Arena.
UK improved to 102-14 all-time in home openers, including a 39-3 mark in Rupp Arena. The last time UK lost a home opener was a 111-103 loss to VMI — who UK plays this weekend — on Nov. 14, 2008.
Richards Dominates Boards in Historic Fashion
Sophomore forward Nick Richards provided a historic boost for the Wildcats in their home opener against Southern Illinois. The 7-footer from Kingston, Jamaica, gobbled up a career-high 19 rebounds to help lift Kentucky to a plus-29 margin on the boards. It proved to be a difference maker against a veteran and pesky Saluki squad that led by as many seven midway through the second half.
Richards had nine boards on the offensive end and 10 on the defensive end to couple with a career-high-tying three blocks. The 19 total boards matched SIU’s team total and it tied the most in the John Calipari era. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 19 in a win over Louisville on Dec. 31, 2011.
The nine offensive snags also matched a Calipari-era record, which had previously been achieved three times by three different Wildcats, most recently by Willie Cauley-Stein against Arkansas on Feb. 27, 2014. Finally, the plus-29 rebounding margin was the third-most under Calipari and the most since bettering NJIT by 31 on Nov. 14, 2015.
Bounce Back
The Wildcats don’t lose very often during the John Calipari era, but when they do, they almost always bounce back. UK improved to 45-12 under Calipari following a loss with a win over Southern Illinois on Nov. 9.
The Wildcats have only lost back-to-back games 12 times during the Calipari era with three of those losses having come during a four-game losing streak from Feb. 3-14, 2018. That was the first four-game losing streak under Calipari.
Previously, the last time UK lost four games in a row was in February 2009, when the Wildcats dropped four straight games to end the regular season. It’s the first time Calipari had lost four straight since the end of the 2004-05 season at Memphis.
