John Calipari on getting double-bye in SEC Tournament: 'We never discussed it'

The Kentucky Wildcats and head coach John Calipari picked up a huge road victory Saturday afternoon, beating the Tennessee Volunteers 85-81. The victory might have some ramifications down the line for both programs; however, it was an essential win for Kentucky’s seeding in the SEC tournament.

With the win, the Wildcats secured one of the top four seeds along with the SEC regular season champs, the Volunteers, earning a double-bye. For the Kentucky faithful, that sounds like a huge boost for the program. But Calipari does not see it that way. When asked whether or not he discussed the need for a win against Tennessee to secure the double-bye, the Wildcats headman was short, sweet, and to the point with his answer.

“No. You know, the only tournament that matters to me [is] after this weekend. That tournament. So, no, we never discussed it,” said Calipari.

Heading into the game, Kentucky needed a win against Tennessee to earn one of the top 4 seeds. Had the Wildcats lost, they would have been jumped in the standings by the South Carolina Gamecocks, given the results of Saturday’s action. But Calipari is none too worried about the SEC tournament. The Kentucky headman understands all too well that he is not measured on how many conference championships he captures but on national championships. And that is why there was no need for the conversation surrounding the double-bye in his mind.

“I don’t even know if they know. But I did tell him after the game, since you won, we’re going to get a bye Sunday and Monday. I’ll give him the rest of today off, and then they get Sunday and Monday; they get three days off. So, no one caught that. That’s good.”

Reed Sheppard drains back-to-back three-pointers to help send Kentucky past Tennessee

Although Kentucky had the momentum, it looked like Tennessee was trying to find a way to make things interesting late in Saturday’s game. The Volunteers started to get on a run, but Reed Sheppard – as he has all year – rose to the occasion.

Sheppard nailed three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to answer Tennessee’s punches back and help send Kentucky to the 85-81 victory over the Volunteers. He had a huge game, totaling 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including an impressive 7-for-10 showing from three-point distance. In fact, at one point in the second half, Sheppard made six consecutive threes.

Outside of Dalton Knecht, Tennessee had a hard time scoring. However, the Vols still managed to get back within single digits before Sheppard silenced the crowd and, more importantly, kept Kentucky out in front by 11 points at the time.