John Calipari shares why Mississippi State win was a 'big deal'

It’s hard to understate the weight of Kentucky’s win at Mississippi State on Wednesday night. With their season in the balance, the Wildcats went into a hostile Humphrey Coliseum and knocked off the Bulldogs who, coming in, were winners of five straight.

That’s why, after the game, John Calipari kept it short about the impact of this victory. It was fairly obvious how impactful what they did this week was for their resume and, in turn, their postseason hopes.

“It’s always crazy here. It’s been nuts every time we play here,” said Calipari “To get out with a win against a team that’s on fire right now? It was a big deal for us.”

Although Mississippi State shot 50% on the night, Kentucky led for the majority of the game at 35 minutes and 13 seconds. The Wildcats led by as much as seven in the first half and 13 in the second half but still had to make clutch plays over the course of the game in order to keep the Bulldogs at bay. In the end, they were able to do so with several key scores in the final five minutes and by outrebounding their opponent 38-22.

Calipari and Kentucky needed this kind of performance to get back into the NCAA Tournament bracket. From here, though, they’ll need to start stacking them while avoiding any more slip-ups to ensure they remain within the field by the time Selection Sunday arrives.

Calipari reveals Kentucky’s mindset at Mississippi State

It’s not often that Kentucky is on the NCAA Tournament bubble, but that’s precisely the case as the regular season winds down. So what is Kentucky’s mindset down the home stretch?

For coach John Calipari, it’s all about adopting a ‘refuse to lose’ approach.

“The biggest thing I’ve been talking to them about is refuse to lose,” Calipari said after a 71-68 win over Mississippi State. “Just refuse to lose. And you may run out of time, but you just keep fighting.”

The Wildcats have split their last six games 3-3, and the latest bracketology from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Kentucky among the ‘First Four Out’, narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament field.

Kentucky needs to bring it the rest of the way to assure itself of a spot in the Big Dance. Wednesday night’s win was just a start.

“It was a hard-fought game for both teams,” Calipari said.