John Calipari takes not-so-subtle shot at Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari and Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl go way back during their days from within the SEC. The two used to have heated battles when Pearl was with Tennessee and it has carried over as the Auburn program has become competitive within the SEC. Things even go back to when Calipari was at Memphis and they played the Volunteers.

Before facing off against Florida on Saturday, Calipari took a not-so-subtle shot a Pearl during a press conference. He referenced a couple of the head coach’s pregame speeches before playing Kentucky and even Pearl’s actions after Auburn’s home win against Alabama. Calipari said that’s not something he has to do to motivate his team.

“The other thing I would tell you, for the entire season, I do not make one game bigger than the other,” Calipari said. “There are no Knute Rockne talks prior to the game, ‘You’ve got to do this!’ And we’re sweeping the floor and jumping on stuff. I don’t do any of that. This is, let’s become a machine. Everything is day-to-day improvement. Stay in the moment.”

Ever since the Alabama football team crane kicked against the Tigers in the Iron Bowl, other Auburn sports have been using it in retaliation when getting wins over their in-state rivals. It came to a peak when Pearl decided to do it after sweeping the Crimson Tide back on Feb. 1. He also had a broom to celebrate. You can watch the full sequence here.

Pearl has been getting the last laugh over Calipari more often than not recently as well. Including Auburn’s 2019 Elite Eight win, it’s been four wins in six games for the Tigers. From Memphis vs Tennessee, Kentucky vs Tennessee, and now Auburn vs Kentucky, it’s always been a competitive rivalry between the two coaches.

Even so, the pregames speech worked for Auburn this season, getting the win against Kentucky at home. It propelled them to No. 1 in the country for the first time in school history. Calipari and Kentcuky will not get a chance to retaliate during the regular season, with a possible meeting in the SEC or NCAA Tournament the only option.

If there is another matchup, Calipari knows his team is going to be ready. He said fresh legs are what win basketball games in the month of March, along with having a clear mind.

“My thing has always been — and I’m winding it down so I can give away secrets right now. My thing has always been fresh minds and fresh legs win at the end of the year. Fresh minds and fresh legs win, which means we’re not having two-hour film sessions. Not doing it. I don’t want to do it. We’re not having four-hour practices. Not at the end of the year. We are what we are. We’re established. We’re just trying to get sharper and more consistent and disciplined. Most of that is mental.”