TUSCALOOSA,, Ala. — Saturday night in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats was enjoying dinner at the popular Chuck’s Fish restaurant, accepting congratulations for his team’s 78-52 rout of traditional power Kentucky that afternoon at Coleman Coliseum.
Meanwhile, the losing Wildcats were on their quiet flight back to Lexington, back to a Big Blue Nation asking an uncomfortable question:
Has John Calipari’s time at Kentucky run its course?
According to Gary Parrish, that’s what a Calipari friend told the CBS Sports basketball columnist last summer. In a piece listing Cal as a potential candidate for the opening at Texas, Parrish recited the conversation. The friend said Cal should have taken the UCLA job in 2019. Said UK fans were frustrated and restless. Said “this thing at Kentucky has run its course.”
Has it? Calipari is 45-29 over the last three seasons. He went 9-16 in the COVID season of 2020-21, lost to No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and is 10-5 this campaign with four of the losses coming by double digits — 16 at Gonzaga; 10 to UCLA in New York; 15 at Missouri; 26 at Alabama.
Saturday’s blowout loss to the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide was just the eighth time in the last 30 years that Kentucky basketball has lost a game by 20 or more points. Three of those have come in the last five seasons.
Alabama smothered the Cats from the start on Saturday. Playing on its heels, Kentucky shot just 28.8 percent for the game, the third-lowest shooting percentage of the Calipari era. Freshman Cason Wallace was 1 of 13 from the field. Jacob Toppin was 1 of 10. Oscar Tshiebwe, college basketball’s reigning national player of the year was 1 of 7. He also committed four turnovers, and according to the head coach, was dunked on five times.
“I may not even watch the tape,” Calipari said afterward.
Said Oats, “Kentucky’s gonna be alright. They just had a bad shooting night.”
Teams have bad shooting nights, but were Saturday a one-off or even a rare occurrence, that would be one thing. Such performances are starting to accumulate, leading to speculation the head coach is pushing up against his expiration date.
This is Calipari’s 14th season as the UK coach. Mark Few is in his 24th at Gonzaga; Bill Self his 20th at Kansas; Scott Drew his 20th at Baylor. Roy Williams coached 18 seasons at North Carolina on his way to three national titles. Mike Krzyzewski coached 42 seasons at Duke.
Kentucky is different, however. You know it. I know it. College basketball knows it. And John Calipari is different, too. We all know that. He’s always out there, talking and promoting and wheeling and dealing with his tweaks and tantrums. He’s not for everyone. Never has been. Never will be.
When riding high, Calipari’s swagger is contagious, but his boasts about Kentucky basketball being the “gold standard” and “everybody’s Super Bowl” and “We are college basketball” sound foolish when the opposition’s student body is gleefully chanting “NIT! NIT! NIT!”
“It’s a long season,” UK point guard Sahvir Wheeler said after Saturday’s loss.
It is indeed a long season, but there has been nothing in Kentucky’s play to offer belief the Cats can turn the ship around. They are 0-4 against Quad 1 teams in the NCAA NET rankings. They are 1-5 away from the friendly confines of Rupp Arena. And there’s too much talk along the lines of we-have-plenty-of-time-to-figure-this-out.
Meanwhile, No. 8 ranked Tennessee plays host to Kentucky next Saturday. Eric Musselman has taken Arkansas to the Elite Eight each of the last two seasons. After a Final Four trip in 2019, Auburn was ranked No. 1 much of last season under Bruce Pearl. Oats is 58-23 his last three seasons.
Kentucky hasn’t been to the Final Four since 2015, hasn’t won a title since 2012.
I’m not ready to hop on the Cal’s-gotta-go train. Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach. He’s pulled a rabbit out of his hat before. His team has talent.
Still, to watch Kentucky basketball lose by 26 points to anyone at anytime puts the focus on the job performance of the head coach. Has John Calipari at Kentucky run its course? It’s a question that has to be asked.
