Charles Barkley calls out John Calipari, Kentucky: 'They can’t keep getting upset'

Kentucky is on the hot seat to perform this March, and Charles Barkley is fueling the fire. During an appearance on CBS on Thursday, the Inside the NBA co-host criticized Kentucky for its recent shortcomings in the NCAA Tournament.

“At some point, they’ve got to make a deep run,” Barkley said, per KSR’s Tyler Thompson. “They can’t keep getting upset. I mean, they’re the University of Kentucky. They’re one of the greatest programs in history and [John Calipari] is a terrific coach and a good friend.

“But at some point, he can’t keep living off what happened during the Anthony Davis era. He’s got to go deep in this tournament at some point and this might be the year.”

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Despite rave success in the postseason during his early years at Kentucky, head coach John Calipari has recently failed to find wins in March. Kentucky has not made it past the Sweet 16 since 2018-19 season.

Last year, Kentucky fell in the Round of 32 to Kansas State. The year before, the ‘Cats suffered a jaw-dropping upset to No. 15 seed St. Peter’s. Now, UK again has a talented team with the potential to make a run in the tournament. However, not everybody is buying into the hype this time around.

Kentucky certainly didn’t silence any doubters in the SEC Tournament. The team fell in stunning 97-87 to Texas A&M in the quarterfinals. Nonetheless, the ‘Cats looked formidable in the days leading up to the event.

Kentucky entered the SEC Tournament on a five-game win streak. The streak included wins over No. 13 Alabama and No. 4 Tennessee in Thompson-Boling Arena. Earlier this week, Calipari claimed he isn’t affected by the constant criticism from outsiders.

John Calipari comfortable in the face of pressure

“I don’t feel that, come on now. Come on,” Calipari said. “I’ve done this how long? And what’s the worst that could happen? It’s already happened to me. What’s the worst? (Getting fired), that’s the worst. I’ve already been through that. This ain’t about me, this is about these kids. That’s the reason I try to take all the pressure off them.

“If it were your child when we’re going into this or any other tournament, ‘We’ve got to win this, you’ve got to play your best.’ That’s how you want me to coach? Now there are people that can do that, ‘If they don’t do this or they don’t do that,’ they’re not fans of this program or these kids. What they’re trying to do is put more pressure on them so they don’t play well so they can double down on what they’ve said. I don’t buy into it.”

Kentucky will kick off its NCAA Tournament run on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET against No. 14 seed Oakland. The game will be broadcast on CBS.