John Calipari hints at lineup changes after lack of fight vs. Gonzaga

Every college basketball coach in the country is tinkering with their lineups and their game plan. That’s just the nature of being this early into the season. However, John Calipari seems to have some serious tinkering to do after Kentucky’s first five games of the year. The highs have looked very high for the Wildcats against their three smaller opponents, but the lows have looked concerningly low in their two primetime matchups against Michigan State and Gonzaga.

After Sunday’s 16-point loss to the Zags in Spokane, Calipari did not mince words when it came to his lineups. He says their depth is going to allow him to play the players that choose to fight and sit the players that don’t. His rotation will then evolve from there.

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“I’ll just play different guys. Whoever wants to fight. I’ve got enough guys. Let those guys get in there and fight,” said Calipari.

Kentucky has had no problem with Howard, Duquesne, or South Carolina State as they’ve won by an average of 33.3 points in those games. The results in their true trials against the Spartans and Bulldogs, though, have already set off alarms in Lexington. The Wildcats never shut the door against Tom Izzo’s team in the Champion’s Classic and looked completely disinterested in competing against Mark Few’s squad in the first half this weekend.

There’s a lot of season left to be played and these are issues every program is dealing with in some capacity, whether we see it or not. Still, Calipari realizes how behind the eight ball his team has looked based on how their two losses have played out.

“Look, I wouldn’t trade my team for any team in the country. I wouldn’t. (But) I’m not happy right now,” Calipari said. “We lost the game (because) we start awful, can’t make a shot. Get back in the game and, when you do all that, you finish those off. It shows we’re not ready.”

“All of that stuff is coming back to haunt us. But, it’s a long season. It’s November…Now it just keeps going.”

The two losses dropped UK all the way down to No. 15 in Monday’s updated AP Poll. Now, based on their first five games, the Wildcat faithful may not truly lock in again until Kentucky’s next big matchups, which come against Michigan and UCLA in December. They’re already proven they can handle lesser competition, but will they be ready by their next set of tests? Calipari has until then to find a lineup that can be.